A New Chance At Life
by ARCEUS-master
Summary: After a night of suffering, Latios was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Alto Mare, for his sister. But fortunate events give him a new chance at life thanks to Latias and Ash. So Alto Mare is saved and Latios is alive. With that behind them, both dragons decide to depart with Ash on his journey, how will he cope traveling with two Legendary Pokémon?
1. A New Chance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

* * *

It had been a really agitated night at the beautiful island city of Altomare. Usually this city was really peaceful, calm nights and passive days, with people going here and there. Mostly unaware of that two legendary pokemon kept the city safe. They all knew that they lived and existed inside the city, but since almost no one had ever seen one of them, most people believed of them as legends. But Latias and Latios, known and the guardians of Altomare really lived in the city and tonight was simply not their night.

First two Team Rocket agents had somehow found their way to the Secret Garden, kidnapped Latios and stole the Soul Dew, A very powerful and beautiful spherical jewel that was in reality the very heart of Altomare, what kept the city alive by giving it the constant supply of water and also contained the soul of the first Latios, father of the two current guardian twins. And then used both captures to power the DMA, which was Altomare's greatest weapon.

Now, thanks to Ash and Latias the defense mechanism has been stopped by removing Latios from it, who felt greatly relieved to be out of that accursed machine, but things just got worse.

Now there is a gigantic tsunami headed towards Altomare. And everyone felt completely helpless to do anything against it.

Well everyone besides the two eon dragons that were currently flying toward the gigantic wave at high speeds, ignoring the cries of worry and concern from both Ash and Bianca. As they were nearing the large structure of water, they begun to draw as much as their power as they could, which was a lot, they didn't grow up to be the guardians of Altomate just because they were cute after all.

Latias and Latios were drawing so much of their power that they began to glow completely, until both of them got covered in a very brilliant white light that pierced the darkness of the night, and would soon also pierce that hateful wave.

There was a thunderous clash as the energy sphere crashed against the wave, then expanding until splitting the wave and letting it collapse. After that the water returned to the city in a more relaxed manner, it still flooded a few sidewalks but still it was better then the tsunami itself. However everyone had a different thought in mind concerning their fellow guardian friends. _'Where are they?'_

* * *

Latias was feeling dizzy, very dizzy. Well that might be an understatement if you just crashed with a tsunami head on with your brother while trying to save a city from a very horrible end.

Latias slowly opened her amber-colored eyes, and squinted them a little to adjust to the light she was surrounded in. _'Where am I?' _she idly wondered to herself as memories of what she had just done returned to her. Turning her head slightly she saw her brother while sighing in relief, only to gasp loudly at his condition. Latios was completely transparent, and was slowly losing what little light he had left, and was just hovering a few feet away from her. She felt her eyes tear up as she realized what was happening, her beloved brother was about to die, and become the new Soul Dew.

"Brother," Latias sobbed, even if her voice was a high-pitched squeak. "Why did you do it?"

Knowing what she was referring to Latios replied in a very gentle and loving tone. "Because since I was already weakened from the energy I lost to the DMA, for us to reach the power needed to stop the wave one of us had to do it, besides father's soul separated from the Soul Dew and there has to be a Soul Dew or else Altomare will die even with the wave stopped."

Latias felt her heart tearing with the simple thought of losing the last family she had left. "But brother, what will I do? I can't keep on without you, I don't want to be alone, there has to be another way!" She felt herself becoming more desperate by the minute.

Latios slowly shook his head. "I am slowly losing what little life I have left, it's over for me."

Suddenly Latias got an idea, one that could save her brother from becoming the new Soul Dew and herself from the loneliness that will surely follow this event.

"What about father's soul? Can it be restored to the soul dew?" She asked him with a light of hope in her amber eyes.

Latios thought for a moment before responding to her. "Well… Yes, but you are too young and inexperienced to restore the Soul Dew, I could do it but as you see I only have a few minutes left in this world," he lamented. She had a really great idea but it was flawed, but to Latios' luck there was more.

"What if someone were to give you part of their soul to keep yours from dying? I know I can't do it because we are related by blood, but what if someone else was to do it?" She paused to let that sink in and to gather her thoughts better before continuing. "Since you are a legendary pokemon your soul with heal itself completely in time, that way you can be stopped from dying and gain time to restore the Soul Dew before Altomare gets in danger again," Latias finished with hope.

Latios' jaw dropped slightly in pure surprise, he knew this of course since he was a bit older and wiser but he was surprised that Latias knew this_. 'And I thought she didn't pay attention when I explained to her about this, but she's forgetting a very important part'._

"Latias remember that whoever does this will probably die because they aren't legendaries, their souls will not heal and will most likely die." Latios said somberly.

Latias' eyes widened with dread. She didn't know if she would be capable of taking another's life just so her brother could live, it was just wrong. "Can it be avoided?" Latias just felt that there had to be a way, she was not going to give up on her brother so easily.

"Depends," was Latios' calm reply.

"On what?" Latias asked confused.

"On that I am able to do… something," Latios was thinking how to avoid it, he had little difficulties, he didn't know if he would be able to do the exchange correctly so that both lived. It was a risk, a high one at that. Suddenly Latios winced as he felt his very life leaving him.

"Brother!" A very worried Latias called.

"My time is almost over," Latios grunted tiredly.

Latias began frantically thinking of someone who would take the risk of saving Latios' dying soul, at the risk of getting killed, she felt horrible at the idea of it but she trusted that her brother would do something so that they also lived. She remembered someone who would do it as a mental image of Ash popped on her mind. "I know who, but how do I get out of here?" She asked Latios.

"I will teleport you to them, just touch who you chose and he or she will be immediately dragged here where I can try to save myself, but hurry I have a little more than two minutes before I am lost," Latios urged her.

Latios' form started to shine brighter as he used the power that was currently around him to teleport Latias. Normally a Latios would not be able to use teleport as that move is more reserved to pure Psychic-types, and he was a Dragon and Psychic-type but since he was currently just a soul he could channel the power much easier to do it and in a small barely noticeable flash of light Latias was gone. _'Hurry my dear sister, and thanks for this,' _Latios thought.

* * *

Everyone sighed in relief as the water returned to the city, and were mesmerized by the large column of light that was visible in the distance.

"What is that?" A very amazed Ash asked.

Lorenzo frowned. "I don't know, my guess is that it is the remnants Latias' and Latios' power."

"They must be quite powerful to be able to produce that much _visible_ power," An awestruck Brock noted.

"Well Latias and Latios are _very _strong and powerful, they just don't show it much because of the little training the have, they seem to act more on instinct, but Latios is the stronger and more experienced of the two," Lorenzo helpfully enlightened everyone.

"And what happened to them now? Are The-" Bianca was interrupted as in a poof of light Latias suddenly appeared in front on Ash, clearly surprising everyone.

"Come with me," Latias urged, but to Ash it just sounded as a squeak. But Pikachu's eyes widened while wondering why Latias would want that. He was just about to ask her that when Latias used a small psychic attack to forcefully push Pikachu from Ash's shoulder sending the poor yellow mouse flying a couple of meters. "Sorry," She apologized.

Everyone gasped at what Latias just did to Pikachu, but Latias wasted no time as she shot her claws fast grasping a very startled and confused Ash from the arms. The second she touched Ash both were surrounded by a brilliant light and were gone in a flash.

* * *

It had been no more than a few seconds since he teleported his sister to find someone that she returned with Ash to the light column that was standing above the ocean waves. Latios sighed. _'I knew she was gonna choose him.'_

Ash looked around and gasped when he saw Latios. "La-Latios, what's going on?"

However Latias beat Latios into answering Ash. "Listen Ash my brother is dying and we need your help to save him, but also if you agree there is a chance that you could die too," Latias finished in a somber tone, clearly saddened by that.

Ash's eyes widened. "Ho-How can I understand you?"

Latias blinked. Latios simply decided to clear things up a little. "Since we are surrounded by our own power, our words are clearer to you but that's not important for now."

Latias nodded. "What do we need to do to save you, bro?"

Latios' transparent form turned to look at Ash. "Do you agree with this? Remember the risk Latias already clarified to you."

Ash thought for a moment before answering. "Sure Latios, I'd hate to see such a beautiful bond between two siblings be broken."

A small tear rolled down Latias' cheek. "Ash, thank you so much!" she cooed while hugging him. Latios smiled at the scene before he winced again, this time harder while panting a little. Latias gasped while parting from Ash "Let's get started quickly before we are too late!" she exclaimed.

Latios nodded. "Ok both, to start Ash and I need to be united by a common link, Latias you will be that link". However Latias just looked confused. Latios groaned slightly, "Just touch one of my claws and one of Ash's hands."

Latios than moved one of his forearms, holding it in front of Latias. She complied joining claws with her brother and offering the other to Ash. Even if he was still not sure about this he touched her claw with his hand.

'_I hope everything turns out Okay,' _Ash was thinking to himself when Latios reassured him. "Don't worry Ash, I'll make sure you come out Okay".

Ash's eyes widened. _'How did he… I remember he's psychic.' _Latios chuckled.

"Ash don't let go of Latias," Latios advised. "Let's start!"

Latios began gathering what little power he had around him and started the process. Both Ash and Latios were covered in a mystical glow, however Ash had a clearly stronger glow. As the seconds passed, Ash's glow begun getting weaker and Latios stronger while seemingly passing through Latias, she felt quite funny and tingly.

And after a few moments Ash passed out, Latias looked worried at him but didn't move as Latios' instructions and besides, she trusted her brother. After almost a minute Ash's glow was very dim, but other ways looking fine, much to Latias' relief, Latios' form started losing it's transparent state and was slowly starting to look more solid, almost like Ash and Latias.

Another minute passed and Latios looked fine, just like Ash and Latias looked, completely solid and lively, without warning a small pulse in the form of a small ball of bluish light shot from Latios' claw and trespassed through Latias all the way into Ash.

Latias' gasp of surprise caused her to accidentally release Latios, she looked very worried about that but Latios smiled to her. "It's done my dear sis, I'm alive and okay, but I'm still weak, my soul needs to still heal."

"What was that?" Latias asked, referring to the ball of bluish energy that dissipated inside Ash.

"That was a small part of my own soul, since Ash's would not heal as he is just a human, that small power will fuse in him and make sure his soul recovers, meaning that he'll live," Latios answered his sister with a very gentle voice.

Latias nodded when suddenly the entire tower of light they were in started to fade and actually absorb into Latios mostly, while a little part of it into both Ash and Latias. Latios looked a little confused at that, he guessed that is was his powers returning to him.

Slowly Latios hovered under Ash placing him in his back since Latias was a little small to carry him yet. Latios felt quite weak but know there was still a very important thing to be done. He still needed to restore the soul dew. It was still night, about four in the morning Latios guessed, and he was always accurate when he guessed at the time.

With that Latios quickly remembered that what little was left of the Soul Dew was still in the main room of the museum. "Let's hurry sis, I may pass out from tiredness any second and we need to get Ash back to a bed to rest, he's alive but barely and we still need to restore father's soul back to the Soul Dew, before he completely leaves this plane of existence." Latios urged.

Latias nodded and both took off to the island and quick speeds with Latias easily taking the lead as Latios wasn't in his best shape, but knowing her task she flew as fast as she could, needing to gather the remains of the Soul Dew for Latios to simply restore it.

* * *

Still standing in front of the entrance of the museum were Bianca, Lorenzo, Misty, Brock and Pikachu, and they were very confused, at least after a small check up on Pikachu Brock noted that he had not been hurt at all by Latias' attack, she did it just to push him of, and then took Ash somewhere.

But Lorenzo had a small idea of what was probably happening. _'Latios is probably in grave danger as we need a new Soul Dew,' _He was hoping that everything fine.

"Let's go get a gondola and go to where the pillar of light faded since maybe Ash, Latias and Latios are there," Lorenzo suggested. That was when Lorenzo noticed a red blur coming to them at high speeds.

"Latias?" Bianca started while squinting her eyes a little to see better, but it was still very dark as it was very early in the morning. Latias slowed down at the entrance as to not scare the group as she headed toward the DMA.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked in anger of what Latias did a few minutes back. "What did you do to Ash?" He asked her, but as always it just sounded as him saying his name a lot of times.

Latias replied with a series of coos and squeaks. "He's fine, but I have other things to do and fast."

Pikachu's cheeks stopped sparking in confusion as Latias turned her back to him and headed to the DMA, everyone followed her and they had _a lot _of questions, but they decided not to ask as they knew that they would not understand her.

Latias neared the remains of the old Soul Dew that rested at the foot of the DMA, using her psychic abilities, which she always had trouble with in the past but now noticed that she could use them a bit easier, she gathered the remains of the Soul Dew once again, forming a perfect sphere but it was still severely cracked, Latias' eyes glowed a bright bluish-white tone as both her and the damaged Soul Dew where surrounded by a soft light, which turned stronger at the Soul Dew, there was a low humming sound as both stopped glowing and the Soul Dew hovered and proceeded to rest gently at her claws. While everyone's eyes widened at what happened.

"S-She rebuilt the Soul Dew," Bianca was simply awestruck.

"But still something is different about it," Misty observed.

Lorenzo frowned. "It has no live in it, it's just the jewel, there's no light coming from it."

A pant broke their attention from Latias and they gasped, Latios was hovering slightly beside them with an unconscious Ash on his back, and was looking very tired.

"What happened to him?" A very worried Brock asked. But the next thing surprised him even more.

_"He saved my live, he's lights out from the effort, that's all," _Latios' voice sounded in their minds.

"Telepathy," muttered Misty. "When did you learn that?" an amazed Misty continued.

"_I'll explain later, I need to finish something and fast,_" He mentally replied to everyone while glancing at the Soul Dew which was currently in Latias' claws. Latios hovered lower and nodded to Misty and Brock, getting the hint, they took the unconscious Ash from his back and gently placed him of the floor, slightly leaning him against a wall for support.

Latios touched the Soul Dew while Latias was just holding on to it. Latios' eyes began to shine a very bright shade of white as he concentrated on searching for his fathers' soul, which must still be nearby since it had just been a few minutes since his release.

Latios took a few minutes before he found it, using more of his power he began shinning brighter and along with the Soul Dew there was a bright burst of light that temporarily blinded everyone, as the light receded, everyone looked at Latias and Latios, who where smiling happily. _"It's done, everything is back to normal," _Latios told everyone with his new-found telepathy. But to everyone's shock, he fell to the ground also unconscious. Everyone watched in awe as the Soul Dew begun to slowly recover it's live, once again it was shinning as it should be.

"Okay… What happened?" Bianca asked.

Latias was just about to start explaining when she remembered that she didn't posses telepathy, and that they couldn't understand her poke-speech, so she just sighed. She guessed it took a near death experience to learn that, she mentally laughed at her own thought.

"Well have to wait for Latios or Ash to wake up to know what happened, that or get Latias a paper and a pen," Lorenzo suggested with a small hint of humor on the writing part. Latias just giggled.

"But we better get the Soul Dew back to it's rightful place in the Secret Garden, we don't want it to die again after Latias' and Latios' effort to revive it," Bianca said with a small sigh before continuing. "And get Latios out of public view as well," She finished. Latias hovered and handed the Soul Dew to Bianca who took it with great care.

Bianca smiled. "I'll take the Soul Dew back to the garden, the rest, get Latios and Ash back to mine and Lorenzo's house."

"I'll go with you," Misty offered as she and Bianca went running to the garden, wanting to get there fast.

Once both girls were out of view Lorenzo sighed. "How are we gonna move a 300 pound dragon again?"

"Use a gondola maybe?" Brock suggested. "It'll be in plain sight and we don't want anyone who happens to be an early bird to see him," Lorenzo noted.

"Let's use a bed sheet," Brock suggested, it was a dumb thing but at least no one would see Latios.

"I'll go and get it along with the gondola, you two take care of Latios and Ash," Lorenzo motioned Latias and Brock as he took off running for his workshop.

Latias looked at the two with a sweatdrop. _'A bed Sheet… can't they be more creative?'_

* * *

Bianca and Misty arrived at the garden after a few minutes of marathon-like running, both panting.

Misty followed Bianca to the central pool-like pedestal as Bianca gently set the Jewel on it, a few seconds later the jewel shined in a very beautiful light, as bubbles started appearing in the water and the tubes that were connected to the pedestal started to revive as drops of water started to fall from them, then more water until there was a steady stream of it.

Bianca smiled. "Altomare is Okay at last," She paused. "Let's go to my house, Lorenzo is probably there by now."

Misty and Bianca walked back to Bianca's house, but at a more sedate pace since they were quite tired from all that running.

When Misty and Bianca arrived to the front of her house they saw a gondola on the nearest canal with what seemed to be a bed sheet on top, the gondola was currently empty.

They sweatdropped. _'Don't tell me…?' _Bianca thought.

As Bianca and Misty entered they saw Brock and Lorenzo chatting together, while drinking some tea, they turned to them. "I take it the Soul Dew is back in place?" Lorenzo asked kindly.

"Yes," Bianca answered.

Lorenzo nodded. "I have to go back to the museum, it will open soon and I need to check on the DMA, and to make sure those despicable Team Rocket thieves are arrested."

"Okay, I'll stay to check on Latios and Ash, where are they by the way?" Bianca asked while seemingly looking around. "Upstairs is the visitor's bedroom," Lorenzo replied.

"How did you fit Latios pass the door, or carry him upstairs for the matter," Misty asked in mild curiosity, since Latios was quite heavy and large.

Both Lorenzo and Brock paled. "Don't remind us," They muttered in unison. With that said Lorenzo shared his good-byes as he took off to the museum leaving Ash and Latios to Bianca's care.

Brock offered some tea to Misty and Bianca, Misty accepted but Bianca decided to go upstairs to check on Latios, she was still worried about him.

As she stood outside the door of the 'visitors room' Bianca opened the door slightly and peeked in, only to smile at the sight.

The room had two beds each one across each other at different ends of the room with a some furniture separating the beds, on the left bed was a still asleep Latios, while on the other was the also asleep Ash, with Latias curled up sleeping beside him while her arms where hugging him by the torso, Pikachu was also asleep at beside the pillow where Ash's head was. _'They must be tired after this days events, I hope Latios wakes up soon so he can explain what happened.'_

Not wanting to disturb their sleep further, she just closed the door silently and headed back down stairs to rejoin the two former gym leaders with a small smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: Well I ju****st decided to start this story. Read and Review! And enjoy of course!**


	2. Waking Up!

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****Pokémon**

"Normal Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy"_

Here's Chapter 2! Read and enjoy

* * *

It was already noon when Latias woke up, she yawned and stretched to rid herself of the sleepiness. She looked down and blushed when she remembered that she had fallen asleep beside Ash. She smiled while thinking of his actions to save Latios, she levitated herself off the bed and gave Ash a little hug before going to where Latios was, he was lying in another bed a few feet away. She frowned upon seeing that he hadn't moved even a little since he had been placed there to rest. _'He must still be recovering from earlier today. He did say that he needed to heal before waking up, but how long will that take?' _She wondered to herself until a little voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Okay, care to explain what happened to Ash?" Pikachu asked Latias in his normal poke-speech, which was saying his name several times.

She turned and saw him at Ash's bedside. He jumped down and walked up to her. Latias smiled. "I'll tell you everything when my brother wakes. It would be better since that way we won't have to explain everything twice, first to you and then to the others."

Pikachu sighed. "Alright, but he's okay, isn't he?" the Electric-type asked, concerned.

Latias nodded. "He's fine so don't worry."

The door opened and Bianca entered along with Brock and Misty. They looked at Latias, who was hovering in midair talking to Pikachu. Bianca grinned broadly. "Latias! You're awake!" she said happily before pulling Latias into a hug. Latias just cooed back happily.

Bianca broke the hug and Latias turned to Brock and Misty and squeaked lightly. Both former Gym Leaders took it as a greeting and smiled. "Nice to see you up, Latias," Misty greeted the female dragon who just smiled and cooed back.

"Want some tea Latias? I'm sure you must be thirsty," Bianca offered, Latias nodded and followed everyone downstairs, where she had the promised tea.

While drinking her tea, Latias glanced at the clock hanging in the main living room of Bianca's house. It read seven o'clock. _'It's that late already? It's almost night,' _she thought.

While everyone was sitting and talking in the living room Lorenzo opened the front door, looking a little tired but with a sly smile on his face. Brock was the first to ask about it. "Okay, what happened?"

Lorenzo sat down on the last free spot on the living room and served himself some tea before speaking up. "Well, remember the two Team Rocket thieves that caused all this?" Everyone nodded and turned when they heard a light growl coming from Latias. They gulped; they had never seen such an angry face on the usually cheery dragon before. "Okay Latias, I know you're very angry at them for almost taking your brother away from you so you're going to like this." Latias gave a little devilish smile before floating closer to Lorenzo.

Seeing that he had everyone's attention, Lorenzo continued. "Those two thieves have been arrested and their trial just finished a few hours ago. After hearing that they almost got one of the Altomare guardians killed everyone was outraged, and they were sentenced to fifty years in a maximum security prison." Everyone smiled at that.

"Serves them right," Misty muttered. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Lorenzo cleared his throat to get their attention again. "So now that it's all clear, how's Latios and the kid doing?"

Everyone's gaze turned to Latias. She gulped and blushed at the sudden attention and gave a small squeak of embarrassment. Lorenzo sighed."Guess we'll need the pen and paper after all. Can you get it, Bianca?"

"Okay." Bianca got up, went to her room, and grabbed a small notebook and a pen. She headed back to the living room and handed them to Latias. "Latias, this is serious so don't try to draw something funny, I'm running out of notebooks again," Bianca warned her. Latias was good drawing and writing, almost as good as Bianca, and had the habit of sometimes doodling stuff randomly.

Latias scribbled in the notebook for a moment then handed it back to Bianca, who looked at it and read out loud. "'Too long a story to write, when Latios or Ash wake up they'll explain.'"

Lorenzo frowned. "Latias, who will wake up first?" Bianca handed the notebook back to Latias and she just wrote "Brother." As before, Bianca read that out loud.

"When?" Lorenzo asked. The dragon took the notebook again and wrote. "I am not sure, maybe tomorrow morning." After Bianca read that out loud everyone nodded.

"So we have to wait for Latios to wake up?" Brock asked Latias, who just nodded.

"If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do about it for now. It's getting late, let's get to sleep," Lorenzo offered.

Misty spoke up. "Brock and I will go check in at the Pokémon Center. We'll drop by in the morning, we'll leave Ash and Pikachu here until then." Lorenzo and Bianca simply nodded as Misty and Brock headed out of the house in the direction of the Pokémon Center.

Lorenzo yawned and headed for his room, as did Bianca, but before going upstairs Lorenzo turned to Latias. "Latias, care to go and check the sacred garden?" he asked her.

Latias nodded enthusiastically, she really didn't feel very tired at all. _'Then again I slept almost the entire day,' _she thought to herself.

Latias flew out the window while using her feathers to refract the light around her in unique ways, turning her invisible to the naked eye. She flew to the nearest entrance to the garden, a small canal that she promptly dove into. After a few turns she entered a small tunnel and came out of the sacred garden's central pool.

Using a small psychic pulse she dried herself off and hovered to the small pedestal nearby, smiling at the Soul Dew resting on top of it. _'Looks like father's soul is all right,' _Latias began flying around the garden looking for anything out of place. Finding everything was all right she flew out of another exit, turning herself invisible again. _'It's a little late, but I'm not sleepy, maybe I'll prank someone to pass the time.'_ A very devilish smile formed on her face. _'And I know just who my victim will be…' _With that thought, she flew to the Pokémon Center.

After a few minutes of flight, she arrived at the Center and flew in through an open window. She giggled devilishly at the thought of what she was about to do, causing the passing Nurse Joy to look at thin air in puzzlement. She could swear she had heard something. She shrugged, deciding it was her imagination.

Using her invisibility, Latias flew stealthily to Misty's and Brock's room. She slipped through the open door and saw Brock sitting at the edge of his bed, reading a book about the Johto League while Misty sat on the other bed, playing with a little baby Pokémon that Latias recognized as a Togepi. She thought the little egg Pokemon was really cute. Remembering the trick she had planned flew in front of Brock and used her psychic powers to make the wind blow through the window and make it cold, causing Brock and Misty to shiver. "Could you close the window Brock?" Misty asked.

"Sure," Brock stood up and was starting to walk to the window when something tripped him and made him stumble a little, falling on top of Misty. Both of them blushed and Misty got a very annoyed and irritated look on her face. Brock got off her in a flash as Misty took her mallet from her bag and glared at Brock.

"You lousy pervert!" Misty screamed in rage as she used her mallet to hit a poor Brock on the head multiple times_ very_ hard, shouting 'pervert' with every blow.

It took Latias all of her willpower not to burst out laughing at the scene, so she flew out the window quickly and ascended a few hundred feet until she couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing at the night sky. At least she didn't lose her invisibility from the laughter.

After catching her breath she decided to return to Bianca's house. She flew to the house in the cool night air, getting there quickly since she could fly quite fast. Once she was in front of the house she opened the door with a small psychic manipulation of the door's lock, opening it in an instant and closing it once she was inside. _'Ever since that incident at the light pillar when we stopped the wave, I've been able to use my psychic powers easier and with much more control. Before I could barely use them and only when I was in distress. When my bro wakes up he better explain,' _she mused to herself.

Looking around she found Bianca at the table making a small drawing on a notebook. Lorenzo was nowhere to be seen. Since he had said he was tired, he'd probably already gone to sleep. Bianca looked up from her notebook and greeted the dragon girl. Latias smiled and flew toward her friend, nuzzling her lovingly, Bianca giggled at the tickling sensation at her neck and cheek. "Everything okay at the garden, I presume?" Bianca asked between giggles. Latias drew back from her friend and nodded, but remembered her little prank and starting laughing. To Bianca Latias' laughter sounded really cute, being a mixture of chirps and squeals. Bianca sighed, knowing what had happened. "You pranked someone again, didn't you?" Latias had the habit of pranking once in a while. Usually it was Lorenzo or Latios that lectured her on that, and a few times it was Bianca herself.

Latias stopped laughing and tried the 'sad puppy-growlithe' face, with the round and ever-cute innocent teary eyes and putting her arms together in a begging manner. Latios never resisted that look, and neither did Bianca. Bianca 'awwed' and hugged Latias around the neck. Latias smirked. Getting off the hook was too easy.

As they parted Bianca yawned and got up from the chair. "I'm going to bed," she muttered while closing the notebook. Latias nodded and followed her upstairs, Bianca headed to her room to get a quick shower and some sleep. Latias went back to Latios' and Ash's room and found Pikachu poking Latios on the neck with one of his forepaws.

Latias sweatdropped. "What are you doing?" she asked the electric mouse.

"I was bored, so I'm having fun," The electric mouse pika-spoke back to Latias, who frowned.

"And you do that by poking him?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied.

Latias sighed and flew to Ash's bed again, curling up next to him. Pikachu just smirked and made a mental note to himself. _'Teasing her about this will be brilliant.'_

Pikachu jumped on Ash's bed and curled down on the lower edge. "Night," Latias murmured as she used a little of her psychic power to turn the lights off.

"Good night to you too," Pikachu replied. He closed his eyes, hoping that Latios would wake up tomorrow and tell them what happened.

* * *

The early chirps of Pidgeys and Murkrows got Latios to fidget a little before his blood-red eyes opened, stifling a small yawn. Latios was really not a morning person…or Pokémon.

Latios hovered upright and stretched to rid himself of the rusty feeling of not moving for almost two whole days. He suddenly heard a happy squeal and turned only to be tackled by a red blur called Latias as she pulled him into hug and gave a happy chirp of "BROTHER!" Latias was hugging him, pinning the poor startled blue eon dragon to the bed. After recovering from the initial daze, Latios finally floated up

"Hey sis," he greeted her, as fond smile tugging at his lips.

Latias finally broke the hug and stared at him with a very happy smile on her face. "Glad to see you're up, brother!"

Latios smiled back, "I'm also glad. I'm totally recovered now, my soul has fully healed," he announced to his sister. Latias smiled brightly at that. "What became of the two thieves responsible for this troublesome ordeal?"

Latias thought back to what Lorenzo had said. "Well…Lorenzo said that they were going to some weird prison for a lot of years!"

Latios sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."

"Could you keep it down, I'm trying to sleep," A certain yellow mouse grumbled from under a pillow. Then his eyes widened. _'I clearly heard Latios' voice, meaning…'_

Completely forgetting the fact that he was just sleeping a few seconds ago, Pikachu was standing in front of Latios at lightning fast speed, so fast that Latios didn't even see him move. "Okay, spill it," Pikachu demanded.

Latios didn't look too intimidated. He calmly hovered a bit closer to ground level and smirked "Now, now, no need to be so rude."

Pikachu flushed a little and staggered back in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. I'm worried about Ash that's all." Latias giggled at the mouse's antics.

Latios gave Pikachu a comforting smile. "He'll be okay, I'm sure of it. He's very strong willed," This put not just the mouse but a certain red eon dragon at ease.

"Thanks Latios," Pikachu said. "But when are you gonna tell the whole story?"

"When everybody is together, maybe a little later," Latios replied.

"And when's Ash waking up?" Pikachu asked, really concerned for his best friend.

Latios hummed in thought. _'Well since he's just a human his soul should heal more smoothly than my own now that it's been combined with a part of my power.'_ "Maybe in a few more hours, his healing is almost finished, I can sense it."

Pikachu smiled and was about to speak up when the door opened and Lorenzo entered. "What's all the fuzz, can't you see it's early," Lorenzo stated with a yawn, only to blink when he noticed Latios hovering next to Latias. "Latios, you're awake!"

_"Yes, I'm healed up__ and everything," _Latios telepathed to Lorenzo, he jumped in surprise at the sudden voice in his mind.

"That's a neat trick, Latios," Lorenzo complemented him. "But why did you not do it sooner?"

Latios just shrugged. _"Because I didn't know how to speak in telepathy until now. It seems I gained it after the events at the museum, and before you ask I'll answer all your questions once everyone is here and Ash wakes up in about an hour."_

Lorenzo nodded. "Okay, I'll wait for Bianca to wake up and for the kid's friends to arrive. Want something to eat?"

Latios gave Lorenzo a pleading look. _"Something to drink please, the dry mouth is killing me!" _

"Okay," Lorenzo replied, turning to leave.

A few minutes later he returned with a whole gallon of water and Bianca, who had woken up a few minutes earlier. After Latios drank the water, Bianca greeted him with a warm hug and they went downstairs to the living room. They were waiting for Brock and Misty to show up, but they were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Meanwhile a certain black haired eleven year old boy was waking up. He yawned and looked around. He seemed to be in a mid-sized room with two beds. He stretched and turned so he was sitting on the edge of the bed he was in. Pikachu was near the door when he heard Ash's wake-up yawn and smiled brightly. "Hey! The airhead woke up!" he shouted downstairs.

A vein made its presence in Ash's forehead in anger at the 'nickname' Pikachu had called him. "Who are you calling an airhead!" he shouted at the mouse, Pikachu looked at him in surprise, and soon Ash adopted the same look, both thinking along the same lines.

_'He __understood me,' _Pikachu thought in surprise. Pikachu's jaw dropped slightly when he saw Ash's eyes. His normal brown eyes were now a very dark shade of red, almost black. _'At least they look kind of cool,' _he thought to himself.

When Latias, Latios, Lorenzo and Bianca entered the room they were greeted by a very amusing sight. Pikachu and Ash were staring at each other like they had never seen a human and a Pokémon ever before and were trying to figure out how to react.

Latias started laughing out loud, making the group's presence known to the two. "Why the stares? Something wrong?" Bianca asked.

Ash fidgeted in discomfort. "Pikachu called me an airhead."

Bianca gave him a skeptical look. "And what's the problem in that?"

Ash gulped. "That it was Pikachu that called me that."

Bianca and Lorenzo stared at him until realization hit them. "You could make out what he said?" Lorenzo asked to clear up any confusion. Ash nodded.

Latias got the biggest grin ever on her face. Latios counted down mentally. _'three… two… one…' _

"YAY!" Latias let out a very loud and high-pitched squeak and tackled Ash playfully. Since he was sitting at the edge of the bed he ended sprawled all across the bed with a very happy Latias on top of him. "I can finally talk to you!" Latias squealed happily. Ash hugged her back, quite startled that he could understand her as if she were speaking like a human. Her natural high-pitched squeak, squeal and coo composed voice now sounded like English to him now, not just the actual squeals but he could somehow make words out of them.

He grinned back at her. "I guess you're right Latias, this is amazing," Latias finally got off him and floated back a bit. Ash sat himself at the edge of the bed again and smiled fondly. "I've always wanted something like this, to understand Pokémon and talk freely to them. Imagine all the advantages this will give me!" He grinned at the idea, but then frowned in confusion and turned to the group. "But why can I understand Pokémon speak now?"

Bianca, Lorenzo and Latias shrugged collectively, none of them having any idea why. But Latios already had a really good guess as to why Ash could understand Pokémon. "Well," he spoke up. "It must have happened when you saved my life. To prevent anything from happening to you, I had to give you a small part of my power permanently. The fact that you now can understand poke-speech may be a derivative of that. Also, since your soul healed in tune with that small part of me, it may have given you other abilities as well, but since you're quite young it may take a while for them to make themselves apparent."

Ash slowly nodded, trying to sort out the information Latios had just told him. Remembering the events in the pillar of light, Ash understood what Latios meant. Latias also got the idea immediately since she had full knowledge of those events. Pikachu understood little, since he only had a small idea of what happened, he just needed the details. Bianca and Lorenzo felt quite left out, since to them Latios' little theory had sounded like a bunch of squeals and coos, only a bit less high-pitched than Latias' own poke-speech.

Lorenzo chuckled sheepishly. "Telepathy please?" Bianca nodded in agreement.

Latios turned to them. _"I'll explain when the other two arrive," _He telepathed to everyone in the room.

Ash looked confused at this, "Since when can you use telepathy Latios?"

"After you saved me," Latios said out loud.

Ash nodded. That's when his stomach let out the loudest rumble in history. He blushed in embarrassment. "Mm… When is breakfast ready?" Everyone sighed.

* * *

Ash was currently sitting at the kitchen table, looking at his Pokémon team eating from the special Brock-made Pokémon food that Brock had ordered Ash have a bag of at all times. At least the living room was big enough to hold all six of them. He was waiting for breakfast, Bianca and surprisingly Latias had offered to make the most important meal of the day. Ash was wondering how good Latias could cook, even if she was with Bianca.

He looked at his team, which was currently made up of Cyndaquil, Pikachu, Bayleef, Totodile, Noctowl and Heracross. As he thought of the upcoming Pokémon Silver Conference, he smiled deciding that he was gonna win the tournament. He took his gym badge case from his backpack and opened it, looking at the seven badges proudly displayed within._ 'Only one left,' _he thought to himself.

He couldn't wait to try his new poke-speech understanding ability to get to know his team better, but he had to wait since they were really hungry, just like him. At first some of Ash's Pokémon had been a little on edge because of Latios' and Latias' presence, they were near two legendary Pokémon after all, but since Ash wasn't looking wary, they decided to emulate him.

"That's a nice team, Ash." Lorenzo complemented him from across the table.

"Thanks," Ash grinned at him.

"I take it you'll be competing in the upcoming Pokémon league, am I right?" Lorenzo asked.

"Yep! And we're gonna win!" Ash said happily. Lorenzo smiled at the boy's enthusiasm.

Latios hovered behind Ash and looked at the badge case. "What are those?" he asked, pointing at the badges.

"These are the badges I need to enter the Johto Silver Conference. I need eight to enter the tournament," Ash answered the blue eon dragon.

Latios nodded. He had seen such competitions before on television, when Bianca and Lorenzo watched it. Usually Latios and Latias joined them to watch the tournament. "You're still one short," he noticed.

Ash just smirked. "That won't be the case in a few weeks!"

Lorenzo smiled, seeing his dragon friend interact with Ash. Even if he couldn't understand the blue eon dragon, before this whole ordeal Latios would rarely even go near humans. The only ones he'd ever let close to him were himself and Bianca, but Ash seemed to have gained Latios' trust really fast, faster than even Bianca and he had. In his own opinion, Latios really needed a true friend he could trust, and Ash seems to have filled that spot quite nicely.

A couple of knocks on the door got Lorenzo out of this trail of thought. He got up to open the door. To his amusement he found the two former gym leaders there. Misty seemed fine, but Brock's head was covered in bandages and seemed to have a few bruises. Lorenzo looked at him. "What happened to you?"

Brock looked at him with absolute terror in his eyes. "I was attacked by a devil last night that goes by the name of Misty."

Misty glared at him. Lorenzo sighed, "I don't even want to now."

Both Misty and Brock entered. Their eyes widened when they heard a very familiar voice greet them. "Hi guys." Ash called to them.

"Ash! You're all right!" Misty said in relief.

"Yeah, just hungry," he replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Like that's a surprise…"

Both friends took a seat with Lorenzo and Ash at the table. "So, how was the beauty sleep Ash?" Brock asked with a hint of humor.

"Terrible, not even a single meal for almost two days," Ash grumbled.

Everybody laughed. "Can't you think of something other than food for once?" Misty asked.

"Never!" Was Ash's immediate reply. Misty frowned at him. She could swear that something was different with Ash's eyes, they seemed more of a reddish-black than the usual brownish-black.

Brock smiled. "So who's cooking now?"

"Latias and Bianca," Lorenzo informed him.

"Latias can cook?" Brock asked in surprise.

"Ask her, or rather taste her and Bianca's cooking and than make your decision," Lorenzo told him as at that convenient moment Latias and Bianca came in with breakfast. After they finished putting the meal on the table, Latias had to stifle a few giggles after seeing Brock's condition, already knowing why he was like that.

Once everyone was seated, including Latias and Latios (Or floating at the table), they began to eat. It wasn't long before the one thing that was bothering everyone finally came out, and it was Bianca that finally asked. "So, Latios or Ash, care to tell us why both of you were out cold for almost two days?"

Ash looked a bit uncomfortable at that, not knowing how to really tell the story. Besides, he was busy eating! Then he thought of a way to avoid stopping his meal. "Latios why don't you tell them? With your telepathy you can tell them everything without having to stop eating."

"How brave," Latios grumbled.

"As always," Ash replied, smiling at the dragon.

Misty and Brock looked at him skeptically. He had answered Latios like he had known what he had said. "_Alright, I'll tell them, but I'd like it if you keep your questions until the end please. I don't really like to be interrupted and answering questions mid-tale," _Latios said telepathically. At everybody's nod he continued. _"I'll also summarize it a little."_

"_Okay, as you all know the Soul Dew is a beautiful jewel that contains the Soul of a Latios, hence its name. That Latios' soul is mine and Latias' father," _Misty and Brock's eyes widened at that revelation. _"After the Soul Dew was corrupted for being off from its pedestal in the sacred garden for too long and was touched by that thief, it exploded, releasing father's soul. Fortunately for me, it was going to take his soul about half an hour to completely disappear from this plane of existence." _Latios sighed. _"With the Soul Dew destroyed, the water couldn't maintain itself in the city and was going to destroy everything, as you should all recall."_ Everyone shivered at the memory of the gigantic wave tearing its way to Altomare. _"Latias and I did everything we could to stop the wave, and while we succeeded, I was weakened from being trapped in the DMA, and since there was no Soul Dew, a new one needed to be formed using my own soul. I was going to become the new Soul Dew."_

Everyone except Ash and Latias gasped loudly. Bianca was beyond shocked "L-Latios?" She stuttered weakly. The idea of losing Latios was simply unbearable to her.

Latios sighed. _"As my soul was losing what little life it had left, Latias got a good idea of how to stop it. The plan was to use another soul to give mine more stability by giving me some of its life force. Since the souls of Legendary Pokémon heal, that soul stopped mine from dying and gave me and Latias time to repair the previous Soul Dew and restore father's soul to it as well."_ Latios turned to Ash and smiled fondly. _"The soul that gave part of its life force to make sure I'd stay alive was Ash's." _Everyone turned to Ash, who blushed a little at the sudden attention.

"So that's why Latios told us you saved his life at the museum," Lorenzo stated, everything falling into place.

Bianca smiled at him. "You have my eternal thanks, Ash."

"Mine as well! I'll forever be grateful to you," Latias squealed happily.

"I already knew that Latias," Ash chuckled a little.

Misty and Brock turned to him. "You could make out what she said? All I heard was a squeal," Misty said.

Brock nodded, "And I recall that before Latios started this you answered him like you knew what he was saying."

Ash sighed. "Well, even since I woke up I've been able to understand what Pokémon say. Latios will tell you why." He resumed eating without a care in the world.

Latios continued the tale. _"Well, after Ash gave his life force to keep me from dying, his own life was in danger now. To make sure he lived, I gave him a part of my power. That way his soul would also heal like mine, and since his soul healed in tune with my power, he must have gained a few of my abilities, including being able to understand us Pokémon."_

"Well, I guess that explains the eye color change," Misty muttered. Everyone looked oddly at her except Pikachu, Latias and Latios. Noticing this, she groaned. "Was I the only one that noticed?"

Brock looked into Ash's eyes across the table. "They do seem a bit reddish…" He had another question. "Latios, you said 'a few of my abilities,' meaning there's more?"

"_Well probably, but since Ash is young it'll take time for them to develop. As he matures he might get some other stuff, maybe" _Latios telepathed. _"Everything clear for all of you?"_ It appeared to be, so they resumed eating.

After the group finished breakfast Bianca decided to take Ash, Brock and Misty to all the nice places to see in Altomare since it was still a little before mid-day, and all they had really seen so far was the museum. Altomare had so much more to offer. Lorenzo went back to the museum, needing to check the readjustment of the DMA. As for Latias and Latios, they decided to go back to the sacred garden. Besides, Latias had something quite important to ask her brother, revolving around a certain Pokémon trainer. She knew he was not going to stay in Altomare for too long, he needed to go back to his travels to get what he needed to compete in the Silver Conference…and Latias wanted to go with him.

* * *

**A/N: Here was chapter 2, hope you all liked it! Thanks in advanced for all who fav and REVIEW this story! And sorry for any spelling mistakes or grammar errors.**


	3. Leaving Home Behind

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Normal Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy"_

A/N: Here's chapter 3! Read and enjoy!

* * *

Latias and Latios arrived at the secret garden a few minutes after departing from the house, mainly because they could fly at great speeds effortlessly. After emerging from the central pool and drying themselves with a small psychic pulse, Latios hovered to the main pedestal of the garden, where the Soul Dew was held.

"Glad to be here again, makes me feel at ease," Latios mused to himself, clearly happy to be at the garden once more.

"Yeah," Latias agreed. She fidgeted a little in discomfort. She was currently having a mental war with herself. She couldn't find the correct way to ask Latios for the chance to leave Altomare. Sure it was her duty to protect the city along with her brother, but she wanted to leave with Ash so much...

Latios easily noticed her unease, having been with her ever since their birth and having to mature a little faster and earlier because of their lack of parents, sometimes even having to act like a parental figure to Latias rather than a brother. He could easily tell that something was bothering his sister, but she had trouble finding the way to tell him. He already had a good guess about it. Not wanting her to be this troubled, Latios took the initiative. "Something bothering you, sis?" He asked her kindly, a fond smile on his face.

Latias squealed in surprise. "Well…" she left the sentence hanging in the air, clearly telling Latios she had no intention of finishing it.

Latios sighed. "Go ahead and tell me, I won't get mad at you or anything." '_Besides, I think I already know what you want to talk about, so I won't be very surprised at all.'_

Latias gathered all her courage before speaking. "Well brother, I want to…" She paused, getting a second thought of what her brother's reaction might be.

Noticing Latias' hesitation again he decided to finish for her. "Let me guess, you want to go with Ash when he leaves the city. Am I right?"

Latias froze in place. _'How did he…' _Recovering a little from the shock, she looked at her brother."Am I that easy to read?"

Latios chuckled a little. "Like a book."

Latias frowned but gave him an eager look. "So can I go with him?" she asked while pulling her ultimate trump card to convince Latios to do well… anything, 'the sad puppy growlithe' face with the teary and hopeful wide amber eyes, claws clenched together on a begging manner as she got closer to him, her face almost touching his. "Pleeeease?"

Latios managed to resist that look from his sister for the first time in his life. "Do you understand all that you are involving with that simple question?" he asked her in a very serious voice that told her this wasn't the time for that.

Latias stopped at the seriousness in Latios' voice and adopted a serious look as well. "Yes, I do."

Latios stared at her in surprise. _'Latias, my sister, serious? That's shocking, she must really want this.'_

Latios sighed. "Well, honestly I'm not sure about this. Even if Ash is a really good trainer and person, there are a lot of dangers outside of Altomare, and as you know, not all humans are as pure-hearted as Ash. Some will stare with greed in their eyes at the sight of a Legendary Pokémon. Besides, if you go with Ash, in order to be a little safer you'd have to get captured in a Pokeball, and that would mean Ash would eventually have to use you in battles, and you aren't ready for that yet. I won't allow you to leave, at least not alone. I'll go with you to protect you and Ash, but that'll leave Altomare alone." Latios didn't want to tell her a direct no, that would shatter her heart, and Latios didn't want to be the cause of Latias' sadness.

Latias looked at her brother pleadingly. "Is there anything you can do to leave Altomare safe in our absence? Remember Altomare is very peaceful, and we have only been needed just a few times in the loooooong time we have been living here." She smirked a little. "Besides, I'm sure that you'd like the idea of leaving a little. It'd be quite boring to stay here. It'd be amazing to travel and see the world, don't you think?"

Latios smiled. "That's true." He hummed in thought. "Latias, you win, but we'll leave only if I can find a way to leave Altomare safe in our absence. If not, we'll stay, agreed?" Latios stated more than asked in a voice that told Latias there was no room for objection, so she just nodded. She had a really big grin on her features regardless, she was so happy. Latios smiled at her. "Why don't you go with Bianca for a little while? I'm sure she'd enjoy having you help her give a tour of the city to Ash and his friends."

Latias nodded but glanced at him. "What about you?"

"I'll stay here. I need to think of a way to leave the city safe, and I'd be better if I think alone," he replied.

Latias nodded and rocketed out of the garden, leaving Latios alone. Heading out through the main entrance and turning herself invisible using her light-refracting feathers, she flew a few feet over the rooftops of Altomare until she realized the flat in her plan. _'How am I going to find them again?' _She thought.

She got quite startled when she heard a chuckle in her mind. _"They're going to the main shopping district, or at least Ash is," _Latios telepathed to her. Latias wanted to reply to her brother, but remembered that she still hadn't gained telepathy, even if she felt herself a bit more in control of her psychic powers after the events in the column of light. _"Just think what you want me to hear, as siblings our minds are connected, so I'll hear it, and I guess I'll show the basics of telepathy later," _Latios told her.

Latias got a sudden look of confusion. _'How can I hear you this far away? Aren't you at the garden? How do you know where Ash is going?' _Latias thought.

"_I'm still at the garden. Like I said, as siblings we can establish mental connections easier, and since Ash has my little gift now, I can sense him even at great distances," _Latios telepathed.

Latias smiled. _'Thanks!'_ She took off toward the main shopping district. Covered by her invisibility, after a few minutes of flight she arrived at the district but instead of going in she glided into a small dark side alley and shifted to her human form, taking the appearance of Bianca, minus the beret. She calmly walked out of the alley, trying not to draw any attention to herself.

She entered the shopping district and begun looking for her friends until she heard someone babbling about eternal love and perfect partners for life and staying side by side forever and nonsense like that in a _very _familiar voice. She turned the next corner and sweatdropped at the sight of Brock trying to sweet-talk a random girl from a sales stand. Latias' eye twitched in annoyance. _'Misty was right at the Pokémon Center, he's a pervert and I HATE those.' _She innocently walked behind the group and waited.

Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Bianca were behind Brock. Ash was shaking his head along with the yellow mouse. Bianca was staring oddly at the former Gym Leader. They didn't notice the second Bianca behind them. Misty handed Togepi to Ash and darted forward, grabbing Brock by the ear and pulling him away.

"Nobody wants to hear that now Romeo," Misty muttered, walking past the group. She was so into scolding Brock that she failed to notice the second Bianca behind them and tripped into her, making both Misty and Brock fall into the nearby canal. Latias caught Misty with her hands firmly, stopping her fall but _accidentally _failed to catch Brock, resulting in him taking another bath for the day.

Bianca looked at her twin and hissed. "Latias!"

Ash greeted her. "Hi, Latias," He gave Togepi back to Misty and helped Brock out of the canal. After Brock was out of the canal he muttered something about Altomare hating him.

Bianca glared at Latias. "That was another of your pranks, right?" The Latias-disguised-as-Bianca just gave the 'cute look', and that was enough for Ash and Misty to 'Awww'. Bianca sighed. "Lets go," She knew that scolding Latias in the middle of the sidewalk was not a very good idea. Then again, every time she tried to reprimand the dragon girl's pranks that look of hers was enough to make her forget it. The only one that was somehow able to resist it was Lorenzo.

The group continued the tour, with Bianca leading them and Latias following quietly beside Ash, earning the disguised dragon girl a glare from Misty, but she wisely ignored it. Ash didn't seem to notice. The tour was great, Ash's group really enjoyed it. They passed several really cool places in the island city, and by the time they had finished it was already noon.

After a while Latias noticed something that perked her interest in a small shop. She tugged Bianca's sleeve and smiled cutely. Bianca looked at her. "What's up?"

Latias pointed to the shop and motioned Bianca to follow her. The two identical girls entered the shop, leaving Ash group standing quite confused outside of it. "Wonder what's up with her?" Brock asked.

Ash and Misty shrugged. "She's up to something," Pikachu muttered.

Ash looked at him before sighing. "It's weird to simply talk to Pokémon over the course of a day."

Togepi let out a playful trill. Misty smiled. "What did Togepi say Ash?"

"That she's hungry," Ash muttered.

"Thanks," Misty replied while pulling a small Poke-treat out of her bag.

"Great, now I'm a Pokémon translator," Ash grunted. Misty, Brock and Pikachu laughed.

A few minutes later Bianca and Latias came out of the store. Latias was holding on to something that looked like a small box about the size of her hands. "What's that?" Ash asked the disguised Latias. She hid it behind her, shaking her head and silently telling them that she was not showing. They pushed the matter off.

As they turned to leave Bianca leaned close to Latias and whispered. "That's coming out of your savings."

Latias just smiled and nodded. Latias actually had a small amount of savings, mostly from her paintings that Bianca and Lorenzo sold to souvenir stores along with Bianca's paintings. Before now Latias didn't even care about that, since she didn't really need the money, but now she found a use for it. Latias and Bianca had frequent competitions to see who made the best paintings. Bianca usually was the winner, but Latias had gotten really good at art. But she could only make good paintings in her human form, she had a lot of trouble using her natural Pokémon claws to hold instruments, so her drawings looked more like random doodles when she tried.

After walking for a few more minutes they ended up near the Pokémon Center. Misty, Ash and Brock prepared to enter and register for another night. Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and entered as Ash's group followed. "Night, see you tomorrow," Ash said looking at both identical girls. Latias tugged at Ash's shirt. Ash looked at her in puzzlement. "What's the matter, Latias?"

She fidgeted a little before taking Ash's treasured hat and running in a random direction. Ash groaned. "Come back here, now's not the time to play!" he shouted while chasing after her.

Bianca sighed and turned to Misty and Brock. "He'll be back in a while. Wait for him here, Latias just doesn't know when to stop her antics. I'll see you guys later," She turned and began walking to her house.

"Bye," Brock and Misty called in unison before entering the Pokémon Center.

* * *

Ash simply couldn't believe it. He'd been traveling for one and a half years now, ever since he started his journey. He was in tiptop shape. He had managed to outrun an angry Primeape and even chased Team Rocket's machines when they stole Pikachu. In summary he was fast, very fast, and yet he couldn't catch Latias. Even if her human form was not her natural one, she was still very fast, every time Ash almost got her; she just took off, leaving him eating dirt.

Latias rounded a corner and entered an alley with a dead end. She smirked as she returned to her dragon form, turned invisible, and flew over the roof of one of the houses to the sides. Ash entered the same alley, finding that it was empty. He cursed his luck when he remembered he was chasing a dragon that could turn invisible. He panted a little to regain his breath. "Okay, are you here?" he called, but got no answer. "I want my hat back!" He turned, ready to exit the alley, only to be blinded by something familiar: his hat!

Ash adjusted his hat and turned to find a giggling Latias, now in her dragon form. "You're too slow!" She mused happily. Ash just growled. She smiled "And you tire too easy."

Ash grunted. "No, you're too fast," He was honesty astonished. He had thought he had good stamina, but he was tired from the long run and Latias wasn't even winded.

Latias giggled. "Come, follow me," She turned human and once again was about to start running, but Ash stopped her.

"No more running please, let's walk for once," Latias pouted but complied. Both started walking, Ash following to wherever Latias was taking him.

Latias smiled and called to her brother mentally, trying to get his attention and get him to start a telepathic chat since she couldn't. After a minute Latios' answer was projected in her mind _"Yes, what is it sis?"_

"_Well… did you find a way to leave? Please say you did," _she mentally pleaded her brother.

Latios chuckled at her. _"Yes sister, there is a way. Apparently after the incident a few days ago both you and I 'unlocked' most of our powers, that's why we now find ourselves with more control over our psychic powers. We aren't known as 'Eon' Pokémon for nothing, and using this to my advantage I've found a way."_

It took all the self-control Latias didn't even know she had to keep from jumping around in sheer joy. _"Meet me at the house so we can tell Bianca and Lorenzo!" _Latias replied.

_"Okay," _was Latios' answer as he cut off the mental link.

Latias was ecstatic. She'd finally be able to go with Ash, finally travel and get to know other places around the world like she'd always wanted ever since she hatched all those long years ago, and the fact that she'd do it with the human that had gotten her attention was another added bonus. She was sure she'd return to visit Altomare once in a while, but Latias was a little nervous about how Bianca and Lorenzo would take it. She knew Ash would be thrilled at the idea of training two legendary Pokémon, who wouldn't?

After a few minutes of walking Ash saw Bianca's house and got a confused look. "Why here Latias?"

Latias just took off running towards the house, and knocked on the front door. Bianca opened the door, only to see a double of herself and a very tired looking Ash. Bianca just shook her head in amusement. "She had you running around half of Altomare didn't she?"

Ash nodded. "She's fast," Latias grinned. Bianca just stared at her but remembered something.

"Ah, come in, Latios wanted to talk with us about something," Latias smiled secretly to herself.

Once inside Latias reverted to her dragon form, since there was no need to hide and staying quiet was something she hated. At least she could talk to Ash like this, even if Bianca and Lorenzo just heard random squeaks. Latios was floating in the middle of the room and smiled upon seeing Latias and Ash. Latias tackled him in a hug.

Ash just greeted him normally. "Hi, Latios," He sat heavily on a couch, still felling very tired because a certain dragon girl decided to have him running all over the city. Latios just chuckled at him, knowing that Latias' playfulness could easily tire anyone out, even him.

Latios looked at Lorenzo and Bianca. _"Well, the meaning of this meeting is a little something that Latias wants," _he telepathed to everyone in the room.

Lorenzo and Bianca turned to look at the dragon girl who was floating in the air next to the couch Ash was seated on. She blushed at the sudden attention, but was secretly hoping that Bianca and Lorenzo would take her and Latios' choice well.

"And what is it?" Bianca asked Latios.

Latios mentally groaned at the fact that it was he that had to tell them. He decided that Latias _was_ learning telepathy so she could voice her own thoughts. _"Latias, has decided that she wants to leave Altomare with Ash, and I am going with her to make sure she stays safe," _Latios told them. Ash, Bianca and Lorenzo gasped at this.

_'They want to come with me, both of them?' _Ash thought, utterly shocked by this, but a part of him was dancing in joy at the fact that two Legendary Pokémon wanted to go with him. That was honestly one of Ash's biggest dreams, to be able to train a Legendary Pokémon. Now that dream seemed to come true, and with not just any Legendary Pokémon, but with a pair of them that Ash cared for a lot, especially after the events he'd shared with them, like saving both their lives, one of them from a certain death and the other one from a zombie Aerodactyl and a life of solitude without her dear sibling.

Lorenzo didn't know what to think, he was confused as to why they would want to leave the city they lived in. Bianca was thinking the same thing. Lorenzo recovered first. "But why? And who is going to keep the city safe in your absence?" Bianca nodded in agreement.

Latios looked at them. _"I have thought of a way to make sure that none can touch the Soul Dew. If the Soul Dew can't be touched, Altomare will be safe_."

Lorenzo frowned, but Bianca looked visibly shaken, maybe even on the edge of tears. "But Latias, why do you want to leave us?" Bianca asked her friend, a small sob escaping her. Latias felt very bad for her friend, so she kindly flew to her and captured Bianca in a hug, gently nuzzling her.

Lorenzo sighed. "Latios, while I respect yours and Latias' choice, I'm still worried greatly about Altomare's safety. Will it be enough?"

Latios looked at him._ "Well, what I have in mind will make it impossible to touch the Soul Dew, and whoever tries will regret it. Since no one will be in the garden, it'll be unlikely that anyone finds it, since there will be nobody to guide them to it. Besides, almost no one knows it even exists." _

Lorenzo still had some doubts but pushed them away, trusting the dragon's words. "I just hope that you know what you are doing."

Latios nodded_. "It's settled then, I'll create the defense now so that I can rest all night."_

Bianca parted from Latias, now a bit calmer. She wiped her tears and looked at Ash. "You take good care of them, or else," she told Ash quite sternly. He nodded, still stunned.

Lorenzo yawned. "It's 10 o'clock already. Let's go to sleep, we'll finish this tomorrow," Bianca nodded. Ash walked through the door, ready to go back to the Pokémon Center. Latias and Latios exited as well, making themselves invisible as they flew out, thankfully the door of Bianca's house was large enough for Latios to fit through it. Once outside, Ash was about to take the first step when he remembered something very important. He turned around and noticed that while he couldn't see Latios and Latias he could somehow _sense _they were there.

"Ahh… Latias, which way was the Pokémon Center again?" Ash asked while blushing in embarrassment. Ash heard a giggle in response from the air in front of him.

Latias flew to a small side alley and then exited as Bianca's double, motioning for Ash to follow her. Ash complied. Latios also followed them, only invisible and floating behind them. The trio walked, well, one floated and two walked, towards the Pokémon Center. Along the walk Latios and Ash discussed how both dragons were going to fit in the team so that everyone would be happy. Latias also participated, only Latios had to tell her thoughts to Ash, reminding Latios yet again to teach her telepathy.

They finally decided that Latios was going to be captured and incorporated to Ash's team from the start since he was the more battle capable of the two, already knowing a few things and being more 'in shape'. Latias would not be captured for now since she still needed a lot of training to even learn how to properly battle, and besides she really didn't want to fight for now, her main reason for leaving Altomare was to be with Ash, and since she wasn't getting captured she could do just that. She'd be able to enjoy the travel without the worry of battles.

After a few minutes of walking, Ash decided to ask something that he'd had in mind for quite some time. "Latios, why did you and Latias decide to come with me? Not that I'm complaining, but it's a little too sudden," Ash asked Latios, remembering that he couldn't ask Latias because she couldn't talk as a human.

Latios answered with telepathy, not wanting any of the people they were passing to hear his regular squeal-composed poke-speech, like they had been talking before. _"Well honestly it was all Latias' idea. The thought of finally traveling, getting to know other places, was very nice, and besides, she wanted to spend more time with you…a LOT more," _Latios finished with a little mirth in his mental voice. Latias used that very moment to lean her head on Ash's shoulder, making him jump a little with a small blush. Thankfully, at that moment they arrived at the Pokémon Center, and Ash entered quickly, wanting to be spared from another embarrassing situation, leaving a snickering Latios and a giggling Latias.

Ash just went upstairs and entered the room where Misty and Brock were, both were awake. Misty was watching Pikachu play with Togepi and Brock was reading a book. Both looked up and greeted him. "Finally caught her? Took you long enough," Brock said. They hadn't really been worried about Ash returning so late, knowing Ash was with Latias was enough to ensure his safety.

Ash just walked in and sat on his bed. "You will never believe what just happened."

Misty and Brock looked at him. With that Ash told them Latias' and Latios' decision to follow along with him in his journey, and to say both were dumbfounded was an understatement. At first they were worried for Altomare's safety until Ash told them that Latios had something clever in mind.

"But Ash, how are you going to take them in? You'll need two spaces on your team," Brock told him.

"Well, Latias really isn't the combat type so she isn't gonna be captured, she'll hang with us all the time," Ash said. Misty's eye twitched. Ash didn't notice, what a surprise. "But Latios is going to be captured and become a member of my team!" Ash finished with a very happy voice.

Brock and Misty nodded, understanding Ash's enthusiasm. Not a lot of trainers got a Legendary. Even if neither would ever tell him, they were a little jealous. Who wouldn't be?

* * *

Latias and Latios arrived at the secret garden, Latias finally decided to let explode all the happiness she'd been felling the whole day and released a loud squeak of joy as she began flying randomly across the garden, doing happy twirls and loops every now and then. Latios sweatdropped at Latias' antics. "Ohh Latias!" Latios called. Latias stopped and flew to him.

"Sorry, I couldn't contain myself," she apologized.

Latios floated to the Soul Dew, Latias following him. "Okay sis, it's going to take a while to start the defense I've planned for Altomare, in the meantime, you're learning telepathy." Latias beamed in anticipation. "Before we start, you should know its limitations. The telepathy of us Eon Pokémon can only establish communication with people that are our friends and that we trust, we can't talk telepathically to strangers, at least for now, once our minds are stronger, we will be able talk to anyone, but for know, we simply can't."

Latias nodded. "Okay, let's start!"

"Okay sis, all the times we've telepathed so far have been because I'm the one to start the conversation or the one to search and pick up your thoughts. Now I'm not going to even make an effort to hear your thoughts, you must _make _me hear them," Latios told her. Latias nodded. "To do that, concentrate and will your thought to be heard by me, literally push them inside my head, Alright?"

Latias concentrated and attempted it, broadcasting a thought directly at Latios, willing for him to hear it. Latios… could hear the wind brushing the grass, the small waves that rippled in the water, the occasional Pokémon that passed, his and Latias' breath, even his heartbeat, but not a thought from her. Latias frowned. "This is harder that I expected."

Latios chuckled. "Keep trying," With that said, Latios turned to the Soul Dew to start on his own work, leaving Latias behind trying to telepath something to him, but she was making little success.

Latios gently extended his claws and touched the spherical jewel known as the Soul Dew. He started channeling the same power he used to stop the wave, that bright and beautiful white light, as it surrounded the Soul Dew and him.

After about twenty minutes Latios let go of the Soul Dew, panting slightly. Latias floated beside him and looked at the jewel, noticing that it was shining a little brighter and the water was a little clearer. "What did you do, brother?" Latias asked him.

Latios smiled. "Simple sis, I gave the Soul Dew a small boost. Did you notice that it is a little brighter?"

Latias nodded. "Yep."

"Well, the small power I gave the Soul Dew makes it impossible for _any _human to touch it. Should someone find a way into the garden and attempt to steal the Soul Dew, they will be injured and repelled forcefully by a power outburst. Only you and I can touch it safely," Latios summarized. "Also, as you have noticed, the water seems different. That's because the Soul Dew keeps the water in Altomare. Since that power also mixes with the water a little, should anything threaten Altomare itself and not just the Soul Dew, the Soul Dew will sense it through the water and send a power signal that both of us should feel, almost like the Soul Dew will call to us for help. If we feel that, we should come here fast, this shouldn't be a problem since we can fly faster than the speed of sound."

Latias' eyes widened in awe. "How does the Soul Dew know how to do all this?"

Latios grinned. "Remember who the Soul Dew contains. It's him that allows the Soul Dew to do this, it's Father that's giving us the chance to enjoy life outside of Altomare."

Latias gasped in surprise. She gently floated forward and touched the Soul Dew with her little claws. A small tear fell from her eye, rolling down her cheek. "Thank you so much, Dad." The Soul Dew seemed to vibrate in happiness, reassuring and cheering Latias to follow the journey she'd chosen, almost like her father wanted her to know a different life rather than spend all her days in the garden. That was enough to gain a smile from the dragon girl.

Latios yawned in tiredness. That little arrangement for the Soul Dew was quite taxing, Latias looked like she could still keep awake for a few hours, but he could not. Latios floated up to the branch he and Latias always slept on, laid down and fidgeted to get comfortable before glancing at Latias. "Keep working on your telepathy until you want to go to sleep. Try to wake me up using only your mind." Latios closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. The fact that he slept calmly and without any disturbances meant that Latias hadn't been able to make her telepathy work even once.

* * *

Ash woke up with a small yawn, stretched, looked at the clock and almost had a heart attack. It was almost mid-day, he had overslept. He stood up from his bed at the Pokémon Center, took a shower and got dressed, and looked at the small dresser beside the bed only to see a small note. It was from Brock, telling him that he and Misty had already left the Pokémon Center and had gone to buy the tickets back to the mainland.

"Mid-day, that has to be a new record," Pikachu said to Ash, chuckling slightly.

Ash looked down and scratched Pikachu behind an ear, earning a small 'pika' of delight. "You know, it's still weird to speak to Pokémon, but I think I like it," Ash told the mouse. Pikachu laughed.

Ash walked down to the lobby and greeted Nurse Joy before walking to one of the phones in the lobby to call Professor Oak. The phone rang a few times before the Professor's image appeared on the screen. "Hi Professor Oak," Ash greeted.

"Well hello there Ash, it's been a while since the last call. How close are you to the Silver Conference?" Oak asked. He could swear something was different about Ash, maybe the eyes...

Ash gave a wide grin. "I'm one badge short," he said proudly.

Professor Oak chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "You were beaten again, Gary already has all eight badges and is currently training in Mount Silver. I warn you Ash, he's tougher than ever and the conference is one month away." Ash fumed. Professor Oak chuckled again. After Ash calmed down Professor Oak continued. "Well what's the motive for the call?"

Ash smirked. "I want to send a Pokémon to the lab, since I'm gonna capture a new one soon." _'Take that Gary! I'll have a Legendary and you won't have one and I'm so kicking your ass in the Conference!' _He thought to himself.

Professor Oak frowned. "Ash you could just capture the Pokémon and he or she would be sent here safely."

Ash grinned. "Sorry, but this is a Pokémon I can't afford to send to the lab."

Oak shrugged. "Alright, who are you sending?"

"I'll send Heracross there for a while, I'm sure he'd love your lab's backyard," Ash told him while placing Heracross' Pokeball in the teleporter. It whirled to life and in a few seconds Heracross was teleported to Oak's lab and an empty Pokeball appeared in its place. After the empty Pokeball appeared, Ash pocketed it and smiled at the Professor. "Thanks a lot! Bye!"

Professor Oak just nodded. "Goodbye to you too Ash, I'm looking forward to seeing what Pokémon you're going to capture. It certainly must be a rare one if you don't want to send it here." _'I'm really interested in this. I'll keep an eye on the records so that when the Pokémon appears I'll see it,' _He thought to himself.

Ash just grinned again. "Wait and see." With that Ash hung up the phone and looked at Pikachu. "Let's go buddy, time to have a new pair of teammates with us." Pikachu hopped to Ash's shoulder and nodded.

Ash left the Pokémon Center, heading to the garden to see if Latias and Latios were ready. He didn't remember the way there, but could somehow _feel _where the garden was, like something was guiding him, then again he felt a lot of that weird stuff since saving Latios' life. Ash and Pikachu walked to the nearest entrance. After a few minutes Ash found himself face to face with a wall in a corner of a small alley. Altomare had a lot of those. He checked to see if there was someone nearby. Finding no one, Ash confidently walked into the wall and bumped face first into it. "Ouch, maybe a little more to the right." He took some steps to the right and once again walked into the wall, a little more carefully this time in case he was wrong again. This time, he walked through the wall easily.

Ash entered the garden and started looking around for either of the Eon dragons. "Latias! Latios! Are you here?" he called. Pikachu saw something and jumped off Ash's shoulder not a second too soon, because Ash was tackled by a red blur.

"Ash!" Latias squealed happily. Latios was hovering behind her. Latias flew backwards a little, letting Ash stand up, rubbing his rear. Latias giggled.

"Hi Latias, Hi Latios," Ash greeted them. Both dragons greeted him back. "So did you get that protection set up?" he asked Latios.

He nodded. "Yes. It's all ready. Altomare will be safe without us."

Latias grinned in that cheery way of hers. "I can't believe we're finally leaving!"

"According to a note Brock left, we leave in a few hours," Ash told the dragons. "Are you two ready?" Ash asked them. They nodded.

Latios smiled. "I'll go get Bianca and Lorenzo to say our good byes." With that he left the garden, leaving Latias alone with Ash and Pikachu.

Latias smiled. "I'll go with him, but first…." She flew to a tree and pushed her arm into a small hole, pulling a familiar box out. Ash remembered Latias had bought it yesterday, but didn't show it to the group.

Latias hovered down until she was in front of Ash and pushed the box into his hands. "For me?" Ash asked her. Latias nodded. Ash opened the little box and smiled before pulling out the contents, it was a necklace with a pair of crystal figurines resembling Latias and Latios dangling from it. "Wow, thanks a lot Latias!" Ash exclaimed happily before hanging the necklace around his neck.

Latias gave him a sweet smile. "That's my thank-you gift for saving my brother and allowing us to come with you." She hovered closer to Ash, smiled, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, startling Ash greatly. Pikachu's eyes widened in astonishment. Latias pulled back and giggled a little at Ash's expression. "That was another thank-you gift. Hope you liked it. I'll be back in a minute, and don't go near the Soul Dew for your own sake." She dove for the water, leaving Ash no chance to reply. He just stood there a little stunned. That was the second time a girl had kissed him, the first being Melody from the Orange Islands.

Pikachu smirked. _'Perfect blackmail material for later, in case I need anything,' _he mused to himself. And why did he feel like rolling around in laugher?

Ash's hand traveled to his new necklace. He blushed a little. "That was unexpected," he muttered before going to sit by a tree to wait for Latias and Latios to come back.

About Twenty minutes later Bianca and Lorenzo entered with the two dragons behind them. Ash got up and walked over to them. Lorenzo smiled. "Your friends are already at the dock waiting for you, Ash."

Bianca turned to him. "Ash, promise that you'll visit every once in a while, okay?"

Ash grinned. "Sure Bianca, I promise."

"I have to admit, this new way to protect the Soul Dew is good. We've got to remember never to touch it, right Latios?" Lorenzo asked. Latios nodded. He had told them the details of the way he'd leave Altomare safe to them on the way there and how they'd cope with Ash's Pokémon team, not wanting them to worry.

Bianca stepped forward and hugged Latios. "I'll miss you. Take care of Latias." She broke the hug, walked to Latias, and hugged her as well. "Be careful and enjoy the journey, and don't make everyone's life impossible please," Latias grinned cheerily, but to Latios that grin only spelled problems, trouble, and lots of headaches.

Both dragons smiled and nodded. _"Good bye Bianca, you too Lorenzo, Latias says bye as well," _Latios said telepathically. Latias still couldn't talk with telepathy, she was close to learning, Latios felt her thoughts trying to enter his mind, but they still lacked the force to fully speak to him. Still, it shouldn't take Latias long to learn, at least not by Latios' standards.

Latios turned to Ash. "Ready?"

Ash nodded and held the spare Pokeball he had from earlier and gently hurled it at Latios, the pokeball touching him in the neck. With a red flash Latios was sucked inside the Pokeball. It shook three times but stayed closed, meaning that Latios had allowed himself to be captured without fighting back.

Ash smiled and picked up Latios' pokeball. Pikachu frowned and tugged at Ash's jeans. "Ash, you're forgetting something important."

Ash gave him a confused look but soon realized what his friend was talking about. "Oh, right!" He took a couple of steps back and did a full spin that ended with him holding Latios' Pokeball in front of him, a dramatic background appearing out of nowhere behind him. "Yes! I caught a Latios!" he exclaimed happily.

Pikachu appeared behind him. "Pi-Pikachu!" He exclaimed as well, meaning 'good work'.

Latias, Lorenzo and Bianca face-faulted. Latios face-faulted inside his Pokeball as well. _'What did I get myself into? At least it isn't that bad inside here,' _Latios thought to himself.

"Was that necessary?" Bianca asked Ash.

He nodded. "Yes."

Lorenzo checked his watch. "Anyway…let's go, we'll take you to the docks."

Latias turned human and followed the group. '_Goodbye father…thank you,' _she thought happily.

After walking for a few minutes they arrived at the docks. There were a few boats there, with Misty and Brock in one medium-sized motorboat. Ash hopped in, Latias and Pikachu following behind him. Bianca and Lorenzo stayed at the dock. "Take care of them, Ash," Bianca said. Ash nodded.

Latias smiled sweetly and nodded at Bianca in farewell. The boat's engines roared to life and the vessel darted forward, heading for the Johto mainland. Each group shouted good-byes and waved at each other until they were out of sight.

Misty smiled, feeing the cool ocean winds caress her until something caught her gaze.

"Ash, what's that?" Misty asked, pointing at Ash's necklace.

Ash gently touched it and smiled fondly, glancing at the disguised Latias. "It's a thank you gift from her." He remembered the _other_ thank-you gift, blushed and quickly looked away towards the ocean. Latias made giggling motions but no sound came out. Misty and Brock frowned but decided not to ask.

With that, the group kept looking ahead, awaiting their next adventure in Johto, and Ash's next Gym challenge, the last badge needed to enter the Silver Conference, in Blackthorn City.

* * *

**Thanks to all who leave a Review! Until next time!**

**This chapter ends the Altomare Arc.**

**Next chapter for the Blackthorn City and Vs. ****Clair Arc!**


	4. Journey To Blackthorn City

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Normal Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy"_

A/N: Here's chapter 4! Read and enjoy!

* * *

Professor Oak was currently sitting at his desk, looking at the trainer records. Every trainer that started his or her Pokémon journey and obtained a license was assigned to a Pokémon researcher or professor to keep track of their journey and to keep any extra Pokémon the trainer caught, and every time a trainer caught a Pokémon, that Pokémon was shown in their personal record on the computer.

What Ash told him a few hours ago had truly kept him thinking. _'Just what did you catch Ash? It must be very rare if you didn't want the Pokémon to be sent here,' _the professor thought to himself. He knew that the new Pokémon might take a few hours to show on the record, since it was caught quite far away, and it could be a while until the registry updated it.

Oak stared at Ash's record, selected 'Captured Pokémon', and several square pictures appeared on the screen in rows, each with an image of a Pokémon Ash had captured on it. They were ordered from oldest to newest, and the last image was Ash's most recent Pokémon, a newly hatched Phanpy. Oak remembered that Ash had sent Phanpy to the lab for a while, not wanting him to battle at such a young age. If Oak's memory served correctly, that Phanpy was currently bugging Ash's Snorlax or Bulbasaur. He was quite playful, but then again he was still a young child.

Suddenly the computer beeped and said. "New Pokémon data arrived for trainer Ash ketchum."

Professor Oak was giddy with excitement. _'Please Ash, don't disappoint me!'_

The entire screen went blank for a second as it refreshed itself, updating the list of Ash's Pokémon. The machine gave another 'beep' and said. "Data sorted, update complete."

Professor Oak looked to where Phanpy's image was and sure enough, beside it was another Pokémon. Professor Oak's eyes widened in amazement. He selected the image and enlarged it until it filled the entire screen. "What is that?" He asked aloud. The image of Ash's most recent capture depicted a Pokémon Professor Oak had never seen before. It was blue and white, mostly white in the neck and a small part of the chest, the rest was a bright blue. The Pokémon had solid-looking wings, two small forepaws with three claws each, a red triangle in the chest, and a long and slender neck. On its head the Pokémon had a small white raindrop-like shape and the rest of it was blue, except for the underside of the head, which was white. It had pointy ears and bright red eyes.

Tracey came up from downstairs. "What is what?" he asked Oak, seeing the surprised look on his mentor's face, only to gasp and run toward the screen when he saw the Pokémon image before him.

"This is Ash's most recent Pokémon capture, but I have never seen it before," Oak said.

Tracey was amazed. "Ash caught it?"

Oak nodded. He called up the Pokémon's information and stats only to find that most of them were blank, except for types, gender, weight and length. The unique type combination impressed both of them. "Psychic and Dragon? That's an odd combination, but it still looks nice," Tracey commented.

"Yes, but think about it Tracey, this Pokémon has two of the strongest possible Pokémon Types. It can use a Dragon-type's natural raw power and combined with the cunning and wide-range abilities of psychics this Pokémon could be really strong if trained well," Oak mused while thinking of all the things such a combination could do. He sighed in exasperation. "Why don't we have any more data on it!" He tried a couple more things, but he really didn't get anything useful.

"Maybe it's registered to another region?" Tracey suggested.

Oak nodded, he walked to the phone and dialed Professor Elm's number. The other Professor's image appeared. "Hi there Oak, what's up?" Elm asked. He was wearing his usual lab coat.

Professor Oak got straight to the point, knowing that the other professor was probably busy and didn't want to waste time. "Remember Ash?" he asked. Professor Elm nodded. "Well, as you know he's in the Johto region, and he just captured a Pokémon I have no info on. I can't even recognize it!" Professor Elm's eyes widened in surprise. It was not an everyday thing that Professor Oak of all people saw a Pokémon he didn't know. "I've sent you the image, maybe you can make it out," Oak told the other Pokémon Professor.

Professor Elm nodded and looked sideways to his own computer. Seeing the incoming Email, he opened the message and saw the image Oak was currently displaying on his own computer, the image of the blue and white Pokémon. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped in disbelief. He shook his head to regain his composure and turned back to the conversation. "Well Oak, what Ash captured is a Latios, a very rare Legendary Pokémon, I don't have much info on it, I only know that Pokémon because there's a small island between Hoenn and Johto called Altomare where they are said to live. If you want more information ask Professor Birch, since Latios is a Pokémon registered to the Hoenn region."

Professor Oak nodded. "Thanks a lot Elm, I'll call him."

"Is that all you needed?" Elm asked to make sure everything was clear.

Oak smiled. "Yes, Good-bye." With that said Oak hung up the phone and sighed. He was impressed as hell. _'Ash captured a legendary! I know he has good luck finding Legendary Pokémon, but to actually capture one? That's just a whole other story! I wonder if Ash will use him in the upcoming Silver Conference? It's settled then, I'm going to Johto to see the Conference and maybe I'll be able see this Pokémon up close. Maybe Ash will battle Gary too. I'd like to see that.'_

Oak decided to tend to the Pokémon in his backyard now since it was almost time for them to eat. "I'm going to tend to the Pokémon Tracey, I'll call Professor Birch later."

Tracey just nodded, barely recovered from the revelation that Ash now had a Legendary on his team. He followed Oak to the backyard. He had to make sure Ash's Heracross didn't freak out on any flower-like Pokémon. He mentally groaned. Why did Ash had to send back Heracross? Life was not fair.

* * *

Latias looked around as the group arrived at a small port town, She was still disguised as Bianca. They had just docked in the harbor after about two hours of travel from the island city of Altomare. They got off the boat and started walking into town. It was quite a lovely place, very calm and peaceful. After checking that they had all the supplies they needed, they left town and followed the road to the nearby forest.

Ash stretched and looked around. He really missed traveling in the open, even if he had just been in Altomare for five days. Latias also seemed a bit eager, since it was her first time outside of the city. Latias decided to revert back to her true form, she wanted to fly around the new area for a while. With a bright flash of blue light, she was once more as a red and white dragon. The sudden change startled Brock and Misty. Both of them stared as the dragon girl looked around, taking in the new surroundings.

"Guess she's happy. Maybe you should let Latios out Ash," Misty said to Ash while looking at Latias.

"Yeah, he'd probably like the area," Brock agreed.

Ash nodded and grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. He activated it and with a flash of light Latios was out, hovering a few feet in front of the group. Latias squealed happily and gave him a playful tackle, but Latios seemed a bit dizzy. Brock laughed. "Still not used to a Pokeball?"

Latios shook his head sideways._ "Not really, it's not that bad but I still need to get used to it."_

Latias pouted at hearing her brother's telepathic voice. "Finish teaching me telepathy already!"

Ash's ears perked up at this. Misty and Brock just stared in confusion. "What did she say?" Brock asked.

"That Latios is teaching her telepathy," Ash translated for them.

"Ah," Brock said.

With that the group kept walking down the road. Latios had told Latias to keep trying to make him hear her thoughts. Latios could now hear her faintly but she still lacked the power to force the thought in Latios' mind. She still needed to keep working on it. Latias and Latios decided to use their special feathers to make themselves invisible, not really wanting some random trainer or traveler they came across to see them and start asking questions. As the group kept walking they came to a small crossroads.

"Where to now, Brock?" Ash asked.

Brock looked up from his book. "According to this, the next Gym is the Blackthorn City Gym, but we're still a bit far from there, maybe a two week walk." He turned and pointed down one of the roads, indicating that they would walk in that direction. They complied.

Misty peeked into Brock's book. "What type of gym is it?"

Brock read on a little further. "Well it's near the Dragon's Den, the entrance to Dragon's Holy Land, and the Gym is known for using powerful Dragon-type Pokémon," Now Ash was really looking forward to that Gym, since Dragons always promised a good challenge.

The group kept walking, and hovering in the eon twin's case. Everything was peaceful, except when Latias decided to prank Misty. She looked around and spotted a Spinarak hanging from a tree branch a few feet down the road. She smirked and flew to the small bug Pokémon. Covered by her invisibility nobody saw her and Latios was too distracted looking at something else to notice. When Misty was passing just underneath the branch, Latias cut the string that held the Spinarak to it, resulting in the spider falling right into Misty's face.

She gave the most terrified scream they had ever heard and took off running so fast that Latias would have had trouble catching up to her even flying as fast as she could. Latias burst out laughing, causing her to become visible again. Pikachu, Ash and Brock sweatdropped. Latios groaned in despair. Latias was getting scolded again, and no cute look would save her this time.

It took the group an hour to catch up to Misty. The second they reached her she started sulking, muttering about Bug Pokémon being out to get her. After a few more hours of walking, during which Misty had been staring at the trees watching out for any troublesome bugs, they decided to stop and eat in a small clearing to the side of the road since it was already about one o'clock, a perfect time to eat, at least in Ash's opinion.

Once they got settled in everyone released their Pokémon, letting them play. Ash as usual got tackled by Bayleef and this time he asked her why since he could now understand her. Her answer was "For fun," while looking away. At least he got an answer this time.

While Brock was getting ready to start making lunch, Ash took out his PokeDex to do something he'd been curious about. He pointed it directly at Latias, who looked in mild curiosity at the small machine. It beeped and said. "Pokémon unknown. No information," while displaying a blank screen. Ash frowned. He pointed it at Latios and the same thing happened. What a surprise…

Misty sighed. "Not your lucky day, I see."

Ash just kept looking at the PokeDex. "Why doesn't it say anything?" Misty shrugged.

Latios floated a little closer to Ash, looking at the red machine in Ash's hands. "What's that?"

"It's called a PokeDex. When I point it to a Pokémon it immediately tells me its species and stuff, but for some reason it can't recognize you two," Ash answered.

"You already know what species and type I am, so why bother?" Latios asked Ash.

Misty groaned in frustration. "Telepathy please, I'm feeling left out," She was now officially jealous of Ash's ability to understand Pokémon. Latios chuckled a little and replayed the question mentally to Misty.

With that settled Ash answered Latios' question. "Well it can also tell me the attacks a Pokémon knows. I know you're a Dragon and Psychic-type, but I don't know what attacks you have."

"_Why didn't you ask?" _Latios telepathed.

"Never crossed my mind," Ash admitted Mareepishly while scratching the back of his head. Misty facefaulted.

"_Well I'm not really battle-trained. All I know are my natural abilities like invisibility, sight-sharing, telepathy, shape-shifting, my powers as a legendary such as the light Latias and I used to stop the wave and my psychic abilities," _Latios admitted, clearly disappointed in himself that he really didn't know anything useful when it came to battles, aside from turning invisible and tackling others and his recently found Psychic abilities. At least he and Latias had good control over their powers as Legendary Pokémon, that's why they were able to rebuild the Soul Dew, but that came more from instinct than practice. Latios idly wondered what would happen if he used the same attack he used against the wave a few days ago on another Pokémon, with the same force. He quickly dismissed the idea. The other Pokémon wouldn't survive a full powered Luster Purge, unless it was very resistant or a Legendary as well. Still, he needed to perfect even that.

That was another reason why Latios had agreed to leave Altomare with Ash. He and Latias needed desperately to learn how to battle. That was why they had lost so easily to Annie and Oakley. Both eon dragons had a lot of potential, especially after the events in Altomare, but they needed to learn how to use it properly. Latios hoped that Ash could help them with that. He was a trainer, after all. If they learned how to battle and fully control their Legendary powers, he knew that he and Latias would become very strong.

"Dude, that's useless, you don't know anything!" Pikachu started laughing while pointing at Latios.

Latios glared at him. Latias came up sporting a devilish smile. "Oh Pikachu, may I remind you that it took Latios one small tackle to beat you?" she said in a sweet singsong voice. Pikachu stopped laughing and got a shocked look on his face. He'd completely forgotten about his first meeting with Latios and how bad it had been. Now it was Latios' turn to laugh. Latias grinned even wider. "And he defeated you _fast _without even knowing how to battle. Imagine what he can do when he has the same experience as you. He'll kick your butt in a second." Both dragons started snickering at Pikachu, who just flushed in embarrassment. If Latios defeated Pikachu without knowing how to battle that quickly, the thought of what Latios would be able to do well-trained really scared him. He gulped.

Latios grinned at Pikachu. "Make sure to stay on my good side."

In the meantime Ash had been watching the exchange with amusement while translating to Misty what they where saying. He had to admit that Latias was right, he was curious as to how strong they could be if Pikachu lost so fast to Latios when the dragon didn't have much battle experience. At least his team got along, in their own funny way that is. It was then that Brock announced that it was time to eat, and everyone started eating happily, especially Ash. Latias and Latios were impressed by his eating abilities yet again, and began wondering if he could beat a Snorlax.

After everyone finished eating and packed up the group continued on their way to Blackthorn City. On the road Latias continued practicing her telepathy, and Ash and Brock tried to teach Latios how to use Psychic. He already had strong psychic abilities and could use them for everyday stuff like drying his feathers or opening doors, like he'd done in Altomare, but he needed to learn how to use them effectively for attack purposes, since there was no point in lifting or pushing an opponent psychically if it wasn't damaged. Sadly, Pikachu was the practice dummy. At least they could train while walking,

After a few hours of practice Latios managed to learn Psychic, the most basic attack for psychics. As for Latias, she was almost there, she just needed a bit more to fully master telepathy. Ash asked Brock what other attacks Latios could learn based on his types. Brock had a good idea of Latios' range of attacks since Dragons could usually master a lot of elements, but decided to work on attacks for his types for the present.

As the days passed the group kept walking to Blackthorn City. After a week of travel Latios had learned a few good attacks, such as DragonBreath, Protect and surprisingly mastered his Luster Purge, which at the time was a move Ash and even Brock didn't know existed. Latios seemed to have mastered it on his own accord. In addition to his Psychic, that gave him 4 attacks at his disposal. He still needed to work on his other abilities, though. He knew the attacks but still needed to learn how to use them with more power and speed, he needed to become stronger with battle experience. For the time being spars with Ash's other Pokémon would do, and sometimes Misty's and Brock's Pokémon as well, usually after breaks.

Latias for now didn't seem too keen on learning how to fight and wasn't taking the matter seriously. For some reason she had more problems learning attacks, and besides, she didn't want to battle yet. Since she wasn't captured yet she wasn't in a hurry to learn how to battle. Latios however had to learn fast since he was on Ash's team, and that meant he had to battle eventually for Ash. At least he could learn how to play 'big over-protective brother' better. Latias just learned Psychic, Mist Ball and Protect to defend herself just in case, and finally mastered telepathy.

Also Latios practiced with his powers as a Legendary on his own or with Latias sometimes. All Legendary Pokémon had additional powers, that's what set them apart as Legendary Pokémon. Their powers came from their abilities they had aside from their types. For example, Lugia's power over the balance of ocean currents, he could control them yet he was not a water-type, that power was different from his attacks and the abilities he had from his Psychic/flying combination. Another example was Suicune's power to purify water, something only Suicune could do and not just any other water Pokémon. Latios and Latias had good control over their powers as Legendary Pokémon as stated before and proved in their successful salvation of Altomare, they just needed to perfect them, these powers manifested as their signature attacks, Mist Ball and Luster Purge.

On the road Ash also told Latias and Latios stories of how his journey had been up to the point he had met the eon twins. Brock and Misty contributed as well. Latias barely contained her laugher at the lengths Ash had gone just to obtain a badge at the Celadon city Gym, dressing and acting like a girl.

Another thing that interested both eon dragons was Ash's natural luck to actually meet Legendary Pokémon and interact with them, for a human to have seen so many really impressed them. At least that meant that traveling with Ash was going to be a great experience and most certainly fun.

As for Ash, he was really enjoying his time, traveling with two Legendary Pokémon was really great even if training them was a little hard. He and Brock were already out of ideas for attacks to teach Latios and decided to ask Professor Oak later for help. In the meantime they helped Latios become stronger by sparring with other of their Pokémon. For some reason Pikachu always wanted to fight Latios. What Ash couldn't wait for was to finally use Latios in a battle against other trainer, not just in a spar. That would be interesting but it would have to wait until he was certain that Latios could battle at decent levels.

For now the group continued on the way to Blackthorn, expecting another week of walking.

* * *

In a Police Station somewhere in the Johto Region…

Officer Jenny was looking through the records. Right now she was assigned to the transport of two criminals from the Team Rocket group to a prison in the Orre Region. Because Orre was mostly a deserted wasteland, escaping prison could be lethal as one could get lost and probably die for lack of food and water, and prisoners were easy to spot because of the lack of cover, at least since the prison was in the middle of nowhere. They also had some of the best interrogators available.

Officer Jenny looked out her window as a prisoner transport truck arrived at the Police station. A few minutes later two police officers entered and saluted. "Ready for transport," they told Jenny.

She grabbed a Pokeball and threw it. "Growlithe! Come out". The Pokeball opened in a bright flash of light and a small canine Pokémon appeared and gave a bark of greeting to Jenny.

The three walked to the cellblock and stopped at a particular cell, in which two women in the standard white and black prisoner outfit were languishing. Both of them had weird hairstyles. They had ID tags that read "Annie" for the yellow-haired woman and "Oakley" for the blue-haired woman.

Both looked up and smirked. "Finally gonna get us out of this hell hole?" Oakley mocked one of the officers.

"No, we're going to take you to an even worse one," Officer Jenny deadpanned. Her Growlithe was growling.

The officers entered the cell and handcuffed the women and took them out of the station. They went to the transport vehicle and placed Annie and Oakley in the back, with Jenny and the officers in front. They left with the Orre Prison as their destination, unaware that Annie and Oakley had other plans.

After about a half an hour of travel Oakley noticed that they had left the city and were traveling down a secluded road. She grinned evilly and nodded to Annie. Even handcuffed, Annie could reach for her hair and took off one of the silver hair clips that held her over-sized ponytails, if they could be considered that, in place, causing it to fall. She pressed the center of the hair clip and it started beeping. She hurled the hairclip at the back door of the truck. Both Annie and Oakley covered their eyes and waited a few seconds before the hair clip _exploded _and tore off the rear part of the police vehicle, causing it to lose control and crash into a tree in the side of the road.

Annie and Oakley quickly jumped out of the vehicle through the now nonexistent rear and took off running. Both were covered in bruises, cuts and a few burns from the explosion, but they could manage it. A bark broke their attention and they saw Officer Jenny and the officers chasing them along with the Growlithe, Annie took off her other hairclip, activated it and dropped it as they ran. By the time Officer Jenny passed that spot the clip exploded violently, and Jenny's world went black as she was knocked out and severely injured from the sheer force of the blast.

Annie and Oakley stopped and laughed. "They fell for it!" Oakley mused. "That's three less cops for us to worry about."

"Let's return to the truck, maybe we can find Ariados and Espeon's Pokeballs there," Annie suggested.

They returned to the smoldering vehicle and searched it until they found two Pokeballs in a small safe in the front cabin. They checked the Pokeballs and were relieved to find they belonged to their Espeon and Ariados.

"Let's go Annie, we have to report back to Giovanni," Oakley said while pocketing Ariados' Pokeball.

"But we failed to capture the Jewel and the Legendary Guardians, thanks to that annoying brat and his Pikachu," Annie responded, clearly irritated by their failure and angered by Ash's actions to stop them. Giovanni hated failure.

"Don't worry, he'll be pleased with the information we gathered," Oakley commented.

Annie nodded, and they started running away from the scene. "When I find that Pikachu brat and the Latias I'll kill them for this, they haven't heard the last of us," Oakley muttered darkly as a very evil-like chuckle escaped her lips.

"But if we kill the Latias Giovanni will be angry," Annie said, crashing Oakley's trail of horrible thoughts.

"Then either I just kill the brat or Giovanni will have to only receive the Latios," Oakley snapped back.

"But either way the brat dies!" Annie said confidently.

Oakley nodded. "First we'll find the brat and take care of him, and then we'll return to Altomare and finish what we started." With that said both kept running, planning to get in touch with Team Rocket and have revenge against Ash.

By the time a search party arrived to see what had happened to the transport, Annie and Oakley were long gone, and one of the officers was dead. The other one and Officer Jenny and her Growlithe were critically injured and barely alive. They were quickly taken to the hospital.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter! Review if you can!**

**Oh no! Annie and Oakley escaped! What will they have in mind?**

**Latios' training starts! Next time: Arrival to Blackthorn!**


	5. Battle For The Rising Badge!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Normal Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy"_

**A/N: Here's chapter 5! Read and enjoy!**

**A/N 2: I finally have a Beta Reader! So my chapters should be better-written when published.**

* * *

We find our little group of heroes in a small clearing at midday, stopping for a bite to eat on their journey to Blackthorn City, still about 3 days away. But meanwhile...

Latios sighed tiredly. Latias giggled.

Latios was currently learning Recover, a move that would certainly come in handy in any match he took part in. The problem was that Latios needed to be damaged and then he had to try and will the wound to heal to master the move, but when he failed… it hurt. A lot.

At least Brock had extra Potions. And at least Pikachu was enjoying zapping Latios every once in a while. Too bad he wasn't the one attacking him today, he would have liked a few more shocks...he was actually starting to get used to them.

"Ready Latios?" Ash asked him.

Latios nodded and braced himself for the next attack.

"Noctowl, use Steel Wing!" Ash shouted to the Owl Pokemon.

Noctowl gave a loud chirp and charged at Latios, his wings glowing bright white as they hardened to steel-like properties, as the name of the attack suggested. Latios took the attack head-on and recieved a large cut on the side, grunting slightly at the pain.

"Latios, use Recover now," Ash told the dragon.

Latios' eyes glowed as he willed the cut to heal. His body was surrounded in a soft green light as the wound started to heal…but suddenly Latios lost control of the technique and the healing stopped halfway. The cut closed a little and the blood trail disappeared, but the cut was still there.

"He needs to work on his concentration for the Recover to work," Noctowl remarked while examining the partially-healed wound on Latios' side.

"You think so?" Ash asked the Owl. Noctowl nodded.

"Can we work on something else please, or take some time to rest?" Latios pleaded. He was tired of working on Recover for the day.

"Alright, let's take a rest for now," Ash said, living in.

"A little more practice and he should have Recover mastered," Brock noted. "Eventually."

"I hope so," Latios muttered and flew to where a giggling Latias was waiting, probably to complain to her in private.

"So Ash, have you decided who you'll use to battle the Blackthorn Gym Leader?" Brock asked him.

Ash shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Misty looked at him disapprovingly. "You should plan ahead. A Gym Leader that uses Dragon-Types is going to be very powerful."

"And besides your team is at a disadvantage against dragons," Brock reminded Ash.

"How so?" Ash asked, not really getting the hint.

"Well, Dragons can resist Grass, Fire, Lightning and Water, which means that Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Pikachu and Totodile are at a Disadvantage," Brock lectured. "And Noctowl could be a good choice since he doesn't have an advantage or disadvantage. As for Latios he'd be a good choice because Dragons are super-effective against other dragons, but he still lacks fighting experience, so you can't expect him to beat all the Gym Leader's Pokemon," Brock continued. "It Would help if you had an Ice Pokemon, but you don't, so you might be in a bit of trouble here." Ash gulped, now a little worried.

"As you can see Ash, you don't have the best team to battle the Blackthorn Gym Leader right now," Misty told him.

"So what do you suggest, Brock?" Ash asked. He knew he wasn't always good at planning ahead, so was deferring to the older trainer's wisdom.

"Well, we still have a three day walk ahead of us, so why don't you fight any trainers that we come across with Latios? That way he'll get battle experience. You should also trade one Pokemon with Professor Oak, that way you'll have a balanced team for the Gym," Brock suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Ash agreed, happy that he was going to finally use Latios for a battle.

"You'll also think this sounds good: lunch is ready!" Brock announced, leaving Ash and Misty wondering how he'd finished cooking while talking to Ash about the Gym.

After finishing their meal the group started once again for Blackthorn City, while keeping an eye out for any trainers to test Latios' skills in battle. Latias decided to take on her human form for the trip, and as for Latios, he was returned to his Pokeball so he could rest a little from his earlier training.

Suddenly, Brock noticed that something was off. It was too calm, like something was missing. When he realized what that something was, he stopped and glanced around suspiciously.

Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Latias looked at him in puzzlement, "What's wrong?" Misty asked.

"Have you guys noticed everything has been way too calm ever since we departed Altomare?" Brock inquired.

Ash and Misty looked at each other and shrugged, not really getting what Brock was referring to.

Brock decided to enlighten them. "Team Rocket hasn't bothered us for a long time now."

Ash and Misty's eyes widened. Now that they thought about it, Brock had a point. Those three hadn't been anywhere near them ever since they left Altomare. As for Latias, she looked a little frighted, Team Rocket didn't bring good memories.

"_What do you mean?"_Latias asked telepathically, silently thanking Latios for teaching her how to talk that way, it was great! At least she could now speak in her human form.

Ash noticed her little hesitation and tried to reassured her. "Don't worry, we don't mean the ones that attacked Altomare. There's another trio that usually follows us, trying to capture Pikachu. They aren't really a threat, and they haven't bothered us since we left Altomare. Maybe they got lost?"

Brock nodded. "Maybe they're trying to find us somewhere in Johto or in Altomare."

"Or looking for a bite to eat," Misty said. They shared a good laugh at that.

At least they hoped those three idiots wouldn't bother them for a good long while. At least they weren't going to hear that horrible motto.

After a while of traveling they came across a young boy almost Ash's age, wearing a blue shirt and red pants and walking in the opposite direction. Upon noticing Ash, the boy immediately ran up to him and pointed at them. "Are any of you Pokemon Trainers?"

Ash nodded. "Yes, I am."

"So are we, but nobody ever seems to care about that…" Misty grumbled.

"Then I challenge you to a battle! I must prove my skill!" The boy shouted.

Ash sweatdropped. _'What's with him?'_ "What's with the Proving skill stuff?" he asked.

"I lost at the Blackthorn Gym. The Leader said I needed more skill and I must see if that's true. By the way, I'm Nick. How about a one on one battle?" the boy answered, introducing himself and challenging Ash in the same sentence.

"I'm Ash, and I accept your challenge!" Ash replied. _'Let's see if Latios is ready,' _he thought to himself.

Pikachu, Latias and Misty walked to the edge of the road and sat at the base of a tree, while Brock did referee duty as usual.

"This is a one on one battle between Ash and Nick. The battle ends when either trainer's Pokemon is unable to battle. Begin!" Brock shouted.

"I'll go first!" Ash announced in an eager tone. "Latios, I choose you!" He threw a Pokeball, which opened in a bright flash and revealed Latios.

The other trainer didn't look too impressed, maybe because he didn't even know what Ash had sent against him. Either way, he was determined to bring it down. _'That Pokemon looks like a Flying-Type, than an Electric-Type will do,' _he thought to himself. Nick grabbed a Pokeball and threw it. "Electabuzz, You're on!" The Pokeball burst open, releasing a yellow humanoid tiger-striped Pokemon.

Ash smiked. _'An Electric-Type…Latios is strong against those.'_

Nick took the initiative and attacked first. "Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"

The Electric Pokemon buzzed loudly and immediately charged at Latios, one of his fists sparking a bright yellow, a large amount of electricity accumulating there.

"Latios, use DragonBreath!" Ash commanded.

Latios took a deep breath and exhaled a jet of white flames directly at the Electabuzz. The Electric-Type attempted to ram through the fire, thrusting his static-covered fist at the attack, resulting in a large explosion as they cancelled each other out, covering the road in smoke. Since the Electabuzz was in direct contact with the blast, he took more damage than Latios, who had been floating safely out of harm's reach.

"Tackle him!" Ash ordered, knowing that the smoke cover would benefit Latios.

On the sidelines Pikachu shivered. "Poor Electabuzz, Latios tackles hard and I know that from experience." He was unconsciously rubbing his forehead with a paw. He remembered how hard Latios had tackled him earlier. Latias giggled at that, or made giggling motions, no sound came out. Misty looked confused since she didn't understand Pikachu.

On the battlefield the Electabuzz gave a cry of pain as Latios crashed into him at high speeds, causing the Electabuzz to be sent flying out of the smoke and land in front of his trainer, sporting a nice bruise on the forehead.

"Get up Electabuzz, you can take more than that!" Nick shouted encouragingly at his Pokemon. Electabuzz struggled a little but managed to regain his footing. Nick then got an idea. "Electabuzz, use Thunder Wave to paralyze and make it slower!" As he finished the order, Electabuzz charged blue electricity in his antenna and shot it directly at Latios.

"Fly up to escape it!" Ash ordered.

Latios quickly flew up, evading the Thunder wave. _'I've had enough zaps already from Pikachu,' _Latios thought to himself.

"I got you now! Use Thunder," Nick shouted, thinking that he had Latios right where he wanted him. The Electabuzz smirked and fired a very powerful bolt of Electricity skywards, directly at Latios.

"Latios, use Psychic to turn the thunder around!" Ash called.

Latios' eyes glowed brightly as he used his psychic powers on the lightning bolt, willing it to turn around. The Thunder wavered and boomeranged, heading right back to the startled Electabuzz, who hadn't expected that. Thankfully his trainer had an idea. "Electabuzz, Protect!" Nick shouted, knowing that his Pokemon's redirected Thunder could become a problem. A green dome-like energy shield covered the Electabuzz completely and absorbed the Thunder Attack without a problem.

"Latios, DragonBreath!" Ash called.

"Electabuzz, Protect again!" said Nick.

Latios fired another blast of white flames, but once again the Electric-Type managed to block them with his protect. Ash saw an opportunity, he knew a third protect would be almost impossible to succeed. "Latios, time to finish this, use Luster Purge!" Ash called, eager to test Latios' most powerful attack.

Nick paused. "What!?" He really didn't know what attack that was.

Latios smirked as his body began shining with a bright light much like the one he had used against the tidal wave, only weaker._ 'Maybe Luster Purge is a lower-powered version of it,' _Ash wondered, making a mental note to ask Latios later.

"Take this!" Latios shouted as a large burst of light was fired from his body directly at the Electabuzz, taking the form of a shining white sphere while leaving a bright energy trail in its wake. Even Latios recoiled a little from the blast.

Nick growled in frustration, he knew that another Protect would be risky because it'd be the third one in a row, so he decided to charge at the attack head on. "Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt to stop that!"

The Electabuzz roared as a lighting bolt was fired from his antenna at the bright light sphere. The thunderbolt and Luster Purge crashed into each other and held a stalemate for a few seconds, neither pushing back, but soon the thunderbolt lost power and was completely overwhelmed by the Luster Purge. Electabuzz was sent flying backwards in an explosion as the Luster Purge collided with him, covering the field again in smoke.

"Electabuzz!" Nick cried when the smoke cleared, revealing the yellow Pokemon was knocked out, his eyes turned into Xs.

Brock raised his hand. "Electabuzz is unable to battle! Latios and Ash are the winners!"

"Yeah!" Ash cheered running forward and hugging Latios. "Congratulations on winning your first battle Latios," Ash praised him.

"_You won bro!" _Latias shouted telepathically in a happy and cheerful voice, causing everyone to wince and get a headache because she shouted a little _too_ loud.

At least Nick couldn't hear that as he returned his fainted Pokemon, because Latias' and Latios' telepathy could only be heard by friends and close relatives. He walked forward and offered Ash a friendly handshake. "Nice battle, I guess the Gym Leader was right, I need to train more," Nick admitted. "Well see ya!" With that said Nick turned around and walked off to wherever he was going.

"So Latios, how was your first battle?" Brock asked.

"_Not bad, this isn't as hard as I thought it would be," _Latios said telepathically, sounding happy and maybe a little proud.

"At least until you either fight at a disadvantage, against a Gym Leader, or at a Pokemon League. That's when things get ugly," Pikachu grumbled.

Ash and Latias sweatdropped. Latios glared at pikachu. "Thanks a lot for the motivation, I feel a lot better," Latios muttered, irritated at the mouse.

Pikachu smiled. "Hey, don't worry, that's what friends are for." Latios facefaulted.

Ash grabbed Latios' pokeball and pointed it at him, "Latios, take a rest for now," Ash said to the blue eon dragon. A red beam shot from the pokeball and sucked Latios inside the pokeball.

"Let's get going," Brock suggested.

Everyone nodded and continued the walk toward Blackthorn City. At least Latios was happy to have won his first battle under Ash's care, but he reminded himself not to get overconfident because he had had a clear advantage in that battle, and he knew that there were probably stronger opponents out there.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Ilex Forest near Azalea town...

A Meowth-shaped hot air balloon with 4 people aboard--well, two people and two Pokemon, anyway—was floating aimlessly about.

"How did we lose the twerps!?" Jessie demanded angrily while looking through a pair on binoculars. James, Meowth and Wobbuffet were looking through their own binoculars as well, trying to find their eternal quarry.

"I told you leaving that water city early and ambushing them at the port was a bad idea, because we didn't know what damn port they were going to dock at in the first place!" James snapped.

"Shut it and keep looking," Meowth grumbled.

"Wooobuffett!" The blue Pokemon saluted.

"We're never going to find them like this," James muttered, adjusting the balloon's flame so that they could go higher.

"What do you suggest?" Jessie asked. She was willing to accept any option now.

"Well, we could wait for them at Silver Town, that's where the conference will be held. By now the twerp either already has all eight badges or is winning his last," James suggested.

The other three nodded, that seemed like a good idea.

"Then to Silver Town it is!" Jessie shouted enthusiastically, throwing a fist in the air.

James nodded and changed course, this time for Mount Silver.

"But I'm still wondering... how did we end up this far away near Azalea Town?" Jessie wondered aloud, turning to look at James, who was the one that usually steered the balloon. James and Meowth were speechless.

* * *

Two Days Later…

"Finally!" Ash shouted enthusiastically. They were at the outskirts of Blackthorn City at last. "Now let's head to the Gym to win my last badge!" Ash planned eagerly, ready for his last Gym Battle.

"Hold it," Brock and Misty said in unison.

Ash stopped. "What now?"

"First you have to go to the Pokemon Center. You have to switch one Pokemon, and also Latios may need to heal a little," Brock commanded Ash, his voice as solid as stone.

Ash winced a little. "Ok, let's go." The group continued walking in the direction of the Pokemon Center. Blackthorn City was surprisingly... green. Numerous houses could be seen in the distance, but trees dominated the landscape, indicating it was a nature-friendly city.

Brock was right in guessing that Latios needed a little rest. The last two days had been exhausting. Ash had challenged every trainer they encountered and used Latios for all the battles to give him experience. Latios had won many of them, but some only narrowly when the trainer Ash challenged was very skilled.

His toughest one had been with a trainer that had mistaken him for a Flying-Type again. That seemed like a common mistake. Rather than using Electric power, however, they relied on an Ice-Type, a Jynx to be specific. Jynx was an Ice/Psychic dual Type, and that meant Jynx was resistant Latios' psychic attacks and could hit him hard with Ice moves. Latios barely won with a DragonBreath to the face at close range, the Jynx having gotten so close because she had attempted to hit Latios with a Ice Punch but Latios managed to attack first. At least Latios had mastered Recover during that battle.

The Pokemon Center was easy to locate, the bright colors made it visible against the green landscape. Ash and the group entered. The Lobby was currently empty aside from Nurse Joy, as usual. Latias noted that the Pokemon Center looked the same as the one in Altomare. She sweatdropped when she saw Nurse Joy at the counter, she still couldn't understand how so many nurses could have the same name and look the same.

"Hello Trainers, welcome the Blackthorn Pokemon Center, how may I help you?" The nurse asked the group kindly.

"You could heal the long-lasting ache in my heart!" Brock shouted and made an attempt to sprint towards the counter. Latias and Misty held a foot out in his path, causing Brock to trip and land painfully on the floor. Nurse Joy sweatdropped.

"Sorry about that," Ash apologized. "Could you fully check my team, please?" Ash asked kindly, holding out five Pokeballs, Pikachu just jumped over the counter.

Nurse Joy smiled and took Ash's Pokeballs, putting them in the healing machine behind her. Shortly after the machine began to make some sounds as it examined the Pokemon in the Pokeballs and healed any that needed it.

Latias watched in wonder. _"How can there be so many Nurses all looking the same?" _She asked telepathically.

Not even a second after she finished her question she found Brock in her face. How he had gotten up so fast was a mystery to her. "Don't you dare say that!" This caused a startled Latias to hide behind Ash, poking her head over his shoulders. "Blackthorn City's Nurse Joy is clearly one inch taller than Altomare's Nurse Joy!" Brock said proudly.

Latias' jaw dropped. Misty and Ash sweatdropped. Nurse Joy sent Brock a wary glance. She had never heard the silent girl wearing the green shirt and white miniskirt talk or how she had expected anyone to tell them apart. Was the eyeless man insane? Wait, that was a stupid question…

Latias gave him an annoyed look. _"Was that necessary?" _Latias telepathed as she wakled to Ash's side.

"Absolutely! There can't be a mistake in that," Brock said, reinforcing Nurse Joy's belief about his sanity. Having one-sided talks...

Latias' eye twitched in annoyance. _'I'm going to prank him for that,' _She thought to herself.

"Here they are, they're all in good health," Nurse Joy called, giving Ash his Pokeballs back. Pikachu jumped to his shoulder as always. "Have a nice day. Thank you and come back again."

"_Does she mean she wants us to come again because we've gotten hurt?"_ Asked a disturbed Latias.

"I think she's just being polite," Pikachu told her.

"_Oh, okay."_

"Thanks!" Ash said before turning and walking to the phones placed on the side of the lobby while Brock, Latias and Misty went to a bench to take seat.

Ash dialed Professor Oak's number and waited. A few seconds later Professor Oak's image appeared. "Hello? Professor Oak speaking."

"Hello, Professor!" Ash greeted.

The second Professor Oak saw who was on the line, he immediately made his demand. "Where is he!?"

Ash looked confused. "Where is who? And would it kill you to at least greet me back," Ash mumbled, annoyed at the last part.

"Sorry, got carried away," Professor Oak apologized. "You just recently captured a Legendary Pokemon. Can I see him?" Oak asked eagerly.

Ash smirked. "Nope, wait until you see me in person."

Oak groaned, giving in. "Ok, so I take it you already are on the way to New Bark Town to register for the Silver Conference?"

Ash looked confused. "What do you mean? I'm in Blackthorn City to battle for my last badge."

Professor Oak shook his head in disappointment. "Sorry to tell you this Ash, but to register for the Silver Conference you have to go back to New Bark Town. After you register in New Bark Town, you can go to Silver Town, but the Silver Conference starts in two weeks, and from Blackthorn to New Bark it's at least a three-week walk, and from New Bark Town to Mount Silver it's at least a month walk, assuming that you walk all day without any breaks or interruptions."

Ash looked terrified. "What!? How'm I supposed to do that?!" Pikachu sunk on Ash's shoulders. He sighed, a determined look forming on his face. "Don't worry, we'll find a way. For now I'd like to exchange a Pokemon to get ready for my Blackthorn Gym battle."

"Who do you want back?" Oak asked. _'Please Ash, I beg you, say you want Heracross!'_

"I want Snorlax back for now," Ash replied. Professor Oak sighed in misery, but got over it quickly. "I'll send Totodile back for now, when my Gym Battle is over I'll send Snorlax back again," Ash continued, placing Totodile's Pokeball in the teleporter.

Oak nodded. "Wait for a minute while I get Snorlax." He disappeared from the screen.

Pikachu looked up at Ash. "What do we do? We have two weeks to cover an almost two month walk!"

"Something will come up, I'm sure of it," Ash assured him.

Professor Oak appeared once again on the screen. "Here it is, Snorlax's Pokeball." Professor Oak placed the Pokeball in the teleporter on his side and pressed the transfer button. The machine swapped the Pokeballs in a bright flash of light.

Ash took the new pokeball deposited before him. "Thanks, Professor."

"Also, could you place your Pokedex in the machine? I'll update it so that it can recognize your new Pokemon," Oak told him.

"Sure," Ash replied while connecting the Pokedex to the machine. Lights flashed and it beeped, and after a few seconds the update was complete.

"Aside from now having Latios' entry, it also had the entry of a similar Pokemon called Latias, just in case you run into it," Professor Oak announced. He had had to go to a lot of trouble to get those Pokemon's data, namely calling Professor Birch in the Hoenn region and asking him, after explaining that a trainer had captured a Legendary. He would have given Ash a complete Hoenn Region entry but he'd have to wait until Ash finished the Silver Conference, so for now only Latios' and Latias' entries were available.

"Also Ash, Professor Elm wants you to do him a favor, so call him after your Gym Battle please," Oak continued.

"But Professor, I'm on a very tight schedule right now." Ash whined.

"Don't worry Ash, you have to go there anyway to register for the Silver Conference," Oak pointed out.

Ash sighed. "Ok."

Professor Oak nodded. "Good luck beating time Ash, I think that will be a tougher opponent than the Blackthorn Gym Leader."

Ash nodded. "Good-bye, Professor."

Ash hung up the phone, and stood there for a few seconds, trying to think of a way to solve this. He hadn't expected to be so late for the Silver Conference. "What'm I gonna do?"

Brock, Misty and Latias walked up to him. "Why the sad face?" Misty asked. Ash told her how late they were and all the little trips they'd need to make to get to New Bark Town and back. Now it was Misty's turn to look worried.

"How do we get there in time?" Ash asked. He was willing to accept any option. Suddenly Latios burst out of his Pokeball without warning, startling everyone except for Nurse Joy, who saw that sort of thing all the time and was not impressed.

"_I could take you," _Latios offered.

"What! But can you get there fast enough?" Ash asked. Then he remembered his talk with professor Oak and how his Pokedex now had Latios' and Latias' entries. "That reminds me..." Ash took out his PokeDex and pointed it at Latios.

It beeped and spoke in the ever-present mechanical voice. "Latios, the Eon Pokemon, Latios is a highly intelligent Pokemon and is capable of telepathy. Latios also has the ability to make people see an image or memory of what they have seen by projecting them in their minds. By tucking back its forelegs to his body to reduce air resistance, it can overtake jet planes in terms of speed, which is faster than the speed of sound."

Ash looked at him. "You can project memories?" Latios nodded. "Why didn't you show us or at least tell us?"

Latios shrugged. _"You never asked and besides so far we haven't needed that ability."_ Everyone facefaulted.

"Wait, can you really fly as fast as the PokeDex says?" Ash asked, a glint of hope in his eyes.

Latios nodded. "_Yes I can, that's why I offered to take you there in the first place."_

"Yes! Now I can get there in time!" Ash cheered. He paused. "But what about Misty and Brock?"

"Well we can start heading to Silver Town while you go to Elm's place and back, that way you'll catch up to us in Silver Town," Brock suggested.

Misty nodded. "Sounds fair."

"Ok, it's settled, Latios will take me to New Bark Town and then to Silver Town while you guys head for Silver Town and meet us there," Ash affirmed. He then turned to Latios. "Thanks Latios, nice save."

Latios smiled. _"Sure, no problem."_

Ash next pointed his Pokedex at Latias, who was disguised as Bianca, as usual. The Pokedex beeped but didn't do anything. "Huh? Nothing happened."

"Maybe she needs to be in her true form?" Brock suggested. This was the only thing that occurred to him.

"Can you please turn back? I'd like to hear what the PokeDex says about you," Ash asked Latias. She nodded and in a bright flash of blue light she was once again a dragon. Again, Nurse Joy was unimpressed. She saw that sort of thing practically every day, in her job.

Ash pointed the PokeDex at her again. This time, it beeped and said, "Latias, the Eon Pokemon, Latias' body is covered in a down that can refract light in such a way that it becomes invisible, Latias is capable of telepathy for communication."

"Well nothing we didn't know already," Ash said as Latias returned to her disguise. He grabbed a Pokeball. "Thanks Latios, return for now," A red beam shot from the Pokeball and returned Latios. "Well, let's go to the Gym already!" Ash shouted eagerly, sprinting towards the Gym, leaving the others behind.

"Yeah, he's always like this," Misty said to the puzzled Latias as they followed Ash at a more sedate pace.

"You'll get used to it," said Brock.

After a few minutes they reached the Blackthorn Gym. It looked more like a mansion than a Gym, it was at least three stories tall and mostly white, with a red Pokaball painted above the door and a sigh that read 'Blackthorn City Gym.'

Ash knocked a few times and yelled. "Hello there! I'm Ash Ketchum and I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader to a battle!" A few seconds passed and no answer came.

Latias walked forward and pushed a small button on the side of the door, and a doorbell sounded, ringing quite loudly. Ash, Misty and Brock facefaulted. "I can't believe we missed that," Brock murmured. Latias made giggling motions.

Suddenly the door opened and a short man stepped outside. He had a white mustache and white hair, indicating that we was a little old "Hello, I assume you are here to challenge the Gym?"

Ash nodded. "Yes, please!"

"Alright, please follow me," the elder said, opening the door for them.

"Huh, that was unusually quick," Brock commented.

"Yeah, we usually need to have a filler adventure or two and do something involving one of the Gym Leader's Pokemon or personal problems before they're ready for a fight," Misty said.

"Maybe Ash'll lose and need to train intensively for a rematch, that happens all the time," Brock suggested.

"You guys, I'm right here, you know!" an annoyed Ash said.

"So?" Misty asked. Ash sweatdropped.

After leading them through a series of elegantly furnished rooms and hallways, they emerged in an Arena in the center of the building. It was like most other standard Gym arenas, the only big difference being that it had a large pool in the center that made up at least half the arena.

"Please wait here while I go get the Gym leader," The elder announced, walking away.

Ash took a few deep breaths to calm himself. _'This is it, the last one,' _Ash thought.

Pikachu tapped Ash's shoulder, making Ash look at him. "Don't worry, we'll win," The mouse reassured him. Ash smiled and nodded.

The door on the other side of the Arena opened, and the Gym Leader entered. She was a young woman with blue hair arranged in an interesting way. Two locks of hair fell at either side of her face, almost like Bianca's, and a large ponytail flowed out behind her, defying the laws of gravity. She wore a tight blue dress and a black cape. "Greetings," She called. "I am Clair, the Blackthorn City Gym Leader!"

Brock had a pair of hearts over his eyes. Were they glasses? Before Brock could do or say anything, Latias grabbed his left arm firmly and Misty grabbed his right arm just as firmly, but with more violence. "You stay here," both girls said at the same time, one vocally and the other telepathically. Brock collapsed in tears.

Ignoring the display behind him, Ash introduced himself as well. "I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!"

Clair tilted her head a little. "Aren't you a bit late? The Conference starts soon."

Ash sulked a little. "Don't remind me…but I'm still walking out of here with a badge!"

Clair smiled and motioned to the elderly man beside her. He walked to the side of the arena and took out a green flag and a red flag in each hand. He was today's referee. "This is a three-on-three Pokemon battle for a Rising Badge. Only the Challenger is allowed substitutions. Are you ready?" he announced.

Clair nodded and took out a Pokeball. "Kingdra! I choose you!" In a bright flash of light, a blue sea-horse like Pokemon appeared, landing in the pool.

Ash grabbed a Pokeball of his own and threw it into the arena. "Snorlax, Come out!" _'Please be awake.'_ The Pokeball burst open to reveal a morbidly obese vaguely feline Pokemon with eyes like Brock. It scratched its tummy, yawned, and looked around in mild confusion. Ash sighed in relief. At least Snorlax was awake, so there would be no embarrassing situations today. Ash heard a small 'good luck' in his mind. He turned his head and saw Latias waving at him. He smiled and returned his attention to the field.

The referee nodded. "Begin!"

"Kingdra, Swift!" Clair commanded. The Kingdra immediately began shooting golden-colored star-shaped clusters of energy directly at Snorlax. The stars bounced harmlessly against his stomach. He scratched where the stars hit.

"That's all?" Snorlax mocked a little. The Kingdra made an annoyed face.

Ash laughed. _'Snorlax has a very good endurance, you're going to need a lot more than that to beat him!'_ "Now it's my turn, use Hyper Beam!" Snorlax opened his mouth and began gathering volatile energy in his mouth, slowly forming a sphere of orange color that grew bigger with each passing second.

"Kingdra, counter with your Hydro Pump!" Clair shouted, pleased that at least this trainer promised a good challenge.

Kingdra spat a torrent of highly pressurized water at Snorlax. Seeing this, Snorlax released the Hyper Beam. Both attacks shot at each other until they crashed powerfully, neither holding back and stalemating for a few seconds until the Hyper Beam vaporized the Hydro Pump, tearing it apart and hitting Kingdra hard.

"Oh, No!" Clair cried as the stunned Kingdra sank in the water. She sighed in relief when the seahorse emerged moments later. _'I didn't expect that Hyper Beam to be so strong…'_ Snorlax panted, keeling over. Hyper Beam required a rest every time it was used. '_Now is my chance.'_ Clair thought." Kingdra, use your own Hyper Beam!"

Kingdra quickly gathered orange energy and fired it directly at Snorlax in the form of an immensely powerful beam. "Dive underwater to cover yourself" Ash commanded quickly, remembering that his Snorlax learned how to swim at the Orange Islands.

Mustering his strength quickly, Snorlax dove for the water, dodging the Hyper Beam at the same time. "Body Slam!" Ash shouted.

"Dodge it!" Clair countered.

Kingdra's eyes widened as Snorlax lunged belly-first right at him. The Dragon Pokemon tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough, and it didn't help that there was just so _much_ of Snorlax to evade. At least half the water in the pool was displaced when Snorlax hit the water, splashing everyone standing outside it as well as smashing Kingdra to the bottom of the pool, Snorlax stood up, his upper body above the surface of the water thanks to emptying most of the pool. "Maybe I should have thought that through a little better," Ash said, wringing his hat out.

"Yeah, you think?" Pikachu complained, shaking himself out.

"Nice thinking with the umbrella, Misty," Brock said as Misty closed the Psyduck-themed umbrella she had taken out to shield them from the water.

"Snorlax and pools are a bad combination. I figured we'd need it," Misty said. Latias gave her an admiring look.

Clair groaned and ran her fingers through her soggy hair. "And I just got a perm, too…" Kingdra floated up to the surface, panting heavily and glaring at Snorlax. "Oh! Kingdra, you're all right! Use agility and then tackle!" she commanded.

Kingdra began moving quite fast and lunged at Snorlax... only to bounce off the fat Pokemon's huge belly. He rumbled in amusement. Clair growled in frustration. _'That Snorlax is taking on almost everything I can throw at it…time to change tactics.'_ "Kingdra, use Hydro Pump!"

Kingdra spat the water attack at Snorlax, who took the hit head-on. It only pushed him back a few meters. With a roar and a twist of his body, Snorlax pushed the Hydro Pump off him, startling the Kingdra.

"Time to finish this, Snorlax! Use Ice Punch!" Ash shouted. Kingdra's half dragon attribute would madk the Ice attack deal regular damage. The force behind the attack was another story. Snorlax lumbered towards Kingdra, his right fist coated in ice.

"Hyper Beam!" Clair called desperately. She knew that a hit from that would certainly knock out her Kingdra. Kingdra started gathering the energy required for the attack again, but was too slow. Just when he finished charging up, Snorlax punched Kingdra with all his might, the Ice just making the punch worse. The Sea-horse like Pokemon was sent flying back through the air and crashed into the edge of the pool, right in front of Clair. Kingdra tried to get back to the fight, struggling to move forward, but soon collapsed, his eyes turned into swirls.

"Kingdra is unable to continue battling," The referee called, raising the red flag indicating Ash's victory.

"Yes! Great work Snorlax," Ash praised. "Can you keep going?"

"Yes, I think so," Snorlax replied lazily.

"Alright, then keep it up!" Ash replied. Snorlax blinked. Had Ash just understood him?

Snorlax's attention was brought back to the battlefield as Clair called out her second Pokemon. "Gyarados, go!" A huge sea serpent Pokemon appeared in the pool, growling menacingly. _'Taking down my Gyarados is a real challenge, let's see how you react to this, Ash,' _Clair thought to herself.

"Begin!" The referee called again.

"Snorlax, use Hyper Beam," Ash called. Snorlax started charging the attack.

"DragonBreath," Clair said calmly. With great speed, the Atrocious Pokemon shot a blast of green flames that hit Snorlax head on before he could finish the Hyper Beam, knocking him back a little and causing the energy he had gathered to dispel.

Ash gaped. _'That attack was fast, Snorlax didn't even finish his Hyper Beam! Time to try something else.' _"Hang in there, use Ice Punch!" Ash shouted.

"Surf!" Clair ordered. The Gyarados dove into the water, sending a small Tsunami at Snorlax. Snorlax thrust his Ice-covered fist at it, freezing most of it and creating an Ice wall separating the battlefield.

"Body Slam that Ice wall," Ash commanded, getting an idea to turn Gyarados' Surf against it. Snorlax hurled himself at the Ice wall belly-first, shattering it into thousands of pieces that rained down at Gyadados, who cried in pain as he was hit all over by the ice storm.

Snorlax shivered a little. "Cold..."

"Finish this with Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted excitedly. It looked like he was really going to knock out two of Clair's Pokemon with just one of his own!

"Dive in the pool," Clair responded. Gyarados dived, the Hyper Beam impacting harmlessly in the water and leaving a small cloud of steam. "Now, Hydro Pump!"

"What!" Ash cried. He had thought that Gyarados was defeated. Sure enough, Snorlax was struck by a powerful blast of water that came out of the steam cloud, sending him back a few meters. As the water blast died down, Snorlax fell over backwards with a large splash, unconscious.

"Snorlax is unable to battle. The match is tied with both trainers down to two Pokemon," The Referee said, raising his green flag.

Ash growled a little as he returned Snorlax. "Very clever strategy, to use the water pool as a shield for Gyarados to resist the Hyper Beam, impressive," Brock noted. Misty nodded in agreement. Even if Ash had done the same thing, Clair took more advantage out of it.

"_You can do it Ash, beat her!" _Latias cheered happily, telepathing her cheer directly at Ash.

Ash smiled at the support before getting back to choosing his best option to take on the Gyarados. He knew that Pikachu was his best choice, since he would have a double advantage against a Water/Flying type. "Pikachu, you're next, buddy," Ash said to the small mouse on his shoulder. Pikachu nodded and charged at the field, eager to battle.

'_This is bad, an Electric-Type has a massive advantage over a Gyarados,' _Clair thought. She doubted that her Gyarados would last long.

"Begin!" The referee called again, initiating yet another round.

"Pikachu, let's finish this quickly with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Right!" Pikachu said as his cheeks started sparking and he shot a large electric current at Gyarados.

"DragonBreath, Gyarados!" Clair ordered. She knew her best bet was to keep the Electric attacks away and defeat the Pikachu from a safe distance. Gyarados took a deep breath and exhaled a large green blast at the incoming electrical attack. Surprisingly, the electricity was deflected by the DragonBreath, just like Clair had planned. The attack hit Pikachu head-on and sent him flying back. He recovered quickly. Pikachu knew that Gyarados were tough, and he couldn't lose sight of that.

"Hydro Pump!" Clair ordered.

"Get close Pikachu, and use Agility!" Ash responded. Gyarados shot a stream of pressurized water at Pikachu. His Hydro Pump seemed stronger that Kingdra's. Pikachu managed to outmaneuver the water blasts, getting out of the way every time Gyarados aimed at him, until Pikachu reached the pool, his ultimate goal.

"Thunder!" Ash declared. Suddenly the entire pool turned yellow as Pikachu pumped several hundred watts of high voltage into the water, including Gyarados, who roared in pain. Clair looked baffled at the sheer power of the attack. _'That's one well-trained Pikachu.'_

The electricity died down as Gyarados went belly-up, his eyes X'ed out. Pikachu also swam to the edge, panting heavily. Using an electrical attack of that caliber had taken a massive amount of energy out of him. "Gyarados is unable to battle!" the referee called, raising the red flag again.

Clair returned Gyadados to its Pokeball. "Take a good rest, you've earned it," she told the Pokemon gently before turning to Ash. "That Pikachu is very well trained, so was that Snorlax," she praised Ash. She knew when to admit a trainer was good. "You are a good trainer. It's been long since I was beaten down this much! But your luck ends here, Ash." She tossed out her final Pokeball. "Dragonair, let's go!"

As the Pokeball opened in a flash of bright light, a long and slender Pokemon appeared. It was blue on top and white on the underside, and had a large blue jewel-like sphere on the neck and a pair on fluffy wings on the sides of its head.

Ash's eyes widened in alarm. _'This just got bad, Pikachu has a bad disadvantage and he's already tired from that thunder.' _"Pikachu!" Ash called to get the mouse's attention. "Can you keep going?"

Pikachu nodded. "I can keep going Ash!" Ash turned and nodded to the referee, signaling him that Pikachu was going to keep fighting.

Latias was impressed with Pikachu. He was a lot tougher than he looked. _'I guess Latios just took him by surprise at the garden, he's very strong.'_

"Begin!" Shouted the referee, clearly excited at seeing the Dragonair in action, particularly against this trainer. Ash decided to let Clair move first, he knew charging head on against a Dragonair was not a very good idea.

"Let's start strong Dragonair, use Twister!" Clair shouted eagerly, she was also curious as to how would Ash deal with her most powerful Pokemon. Dragonair's neck sphere began shining as it shot a tremendous cyclone directly at Pikachu.

"Dodge with Quick Attack and then use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu began running at impressive speeds, getting out of range of the twister as fast as he could. After successfully evading the cyclone, Pikachu fired a lightning bolt directly at the Dragonair. Surprisingly, Dragonair twisted out of the way, his long and slender body making it easy to dodge the electric attack. "Keep up the electric attacks!" Ash ordered. He hadn't expected the Dragon Pokemon to dodge so easily.

"Alright!" Pikachu answered back. He kept firing as many lightning bolts as he could trying to hit the Dragonair, but the dragon kept turning and twisting out of the way, almost dancing between the electrical attacks.

"Hyper Beam!" Clair called._ 'It's over.'_

During one of its dodges, the serpentine dragon started charging the attack. With a sharp turn it eluded yet another lightning bolt from Pikachu and also got dangerously close to him. Before the mouse could react or try to unleash another electrical attack, Dragonair fired the Hyper Beam, the powerful orange beam hitting Pikachu square in the chest and sending him flying backwards, crashing into the wall a few feet behind Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash quickly ran to where the mouse had landed. "You Ok buddy?" Ash asked while scooping the electric rodent up in his arms.

"Ouch..." Pikachu mumbled, his eyes turned to swirls.

Ash walked to Brock and handed Pikachu to him as the referee called the battle in Clair's favor, leaving this a one-on-one battle for the badge. "That Dragonair in very strong Clair!" Ash complimented, grabbing a Pokeball.

Clair smirked. "Ready to give up?"

"Never!" Ash replied, throwing his last Pokeball. "Latios, I choose you!" Ash shouted as the blue eon dragon appeared on the field.

Clair gasped loudly. _'One of the Legendary Eon Dragons…They're some of the rarest Pokemon in the whole world!'_ "Ash, just how did you capture one of the Eon Dragons?" Clair asked in wonder.

Everyone looked shocked at the fact that Clair knew what Latios was. She was the first trainer to recognize him. Then again, she was a Dragon Type Gym Leader, she had to know a lot about dragons. "Well I befriended him and he decided to come along with me. I didn't have to fight him to capture him."

Clair nodded. "A very honorable way to catch a Legendary, but don't think that having a Legendary makes you invincible. Legendaries can be defeated just like regular Pokemon."

"_You can do it bro! You too Ash!" _An excited telepathic voice ringed inside both Latios' and Ash's minds. At least that gave them confidence, Latias was a good cheerleader.

"This match deserves something special," The referee called, walking to a control panel behind him. He pressed a few buttons and the arena started shaking. Suddenly, the entire roof of the Gym started sliding to the sides, parting from the middle, revealing the open sky. "Now both pokemon can maneuver properly in the open," the referee announced. Ash and Latios looked impressed at the retractable roof. Clair didn't mind much. "Last round of the match for the Rising Badge, Latios vs. Dragonair, BEGIN!" The referee shouted, expecting nothing less then a great battle between the two Dragons.

"Latios, use DragonBreath!" Ash called. At least he had a slight idea of the tactics the Dragonair used, as he saw by the way the Dragon dodged Pikachu's electrical attacks.

"Dragonair, dive in the pool!" Clair ordered. Dragonair did as it was told, quickly diving into the pool before the torrent of white flames reached it. Clair knew that Dragonair's only weaknesses were Dragon and Ice, so she couldn't afford to get hit by Latios' Dragon type moves. But she also knew that Latios had the same disadvantage. The winner of this battle would be the one who could land their attacks the fastest.

"Now, use Twister!" Clair commanded. Dragonair's neck sphere began shining as it launched a potent tornado that mixed with the pool water to create a large waterspout headed directly at Latios.

"Fly up as fast as you can, get out of that twister's range!" Ash commanded. Latios tucked his forepaws to his body and sped toward the sky, getting out of reach of the twister.

Clair's eyes widened. _'He's extremely fast.'_

"Now that's what I call fast!" Ash praised.

"Dragonair, fly up and catch that Latios!" Clair ordered.

Dragonair burst from the water, flying quickly towards Latios. Clair smirked. _'Now!' _"Dragon Rage!" Dragonair took a deep breath and launched an orange energy ball at Latios. The energy ball looked like a compressed Hyper Beam, but with fire coating it.

"Dodge and use Psychic!" Ash countered. Once again Latios dodged at amazing speeds. Since his forepaws were still tucked against his body, he could move quickly through the open space, so by the time the Dragon Rage reached were Latios had been, he was long gone.

Suddenly, Dragonair was forcefully dragged down and smashed into the Gym floor quite hard thanks to Latios' Psychic. "Latios, in the sky you have the advantage, so stay there!" Ash told him. Ash knew that Dragonair was most likely at a higher level than Latios, so a few attacks from Dragonair could cause Latios a lot of damage and it would take more attacks to beat Dragonair than it would to beat Latios. As long as Latios stayed out of range of Dragonair's attacks he was going to be fine.

"Dragonair, use Shock Wave!" Clair commanded. She knew Shock Wave never missed, so Latios couldn't evade it. Dragonair let loose an electric bolt from his horn. Latios quickly moved out of the way at Ash's command, but he was very surprised when the electric bolt followed and hit him. At least his consolation was that Pikachu zapped harder during sparring matches, and besides, he was resistant to electricity.

"What! Why did that hit Latios, he moved out of the way!?" Ash started.

"Ash, Shock Wave is a move that never misses, so no matter how fast Latios is he will always get hit!" Brock clarified for Ash.

"So I can't dodge that..." Latios muttered, having heard Brock clearly.

"Dragonair, Fly and attack Latios with Shock wave again!" Clair ordered, at least Latios couldn't dodge that. _'I have to admit it, fighting a Legendary is hard, but not impossible!'_

"Latios, use Protect!" Ash ordered. Latios created a shield, blocking the Shock Wave easily.

"Dragonair, get close and use Iron tail!" Clair ordered, guessing that Latios was not a Pokemon made for close combat.

"Got ya!" Dragonair exclaimed as he flew quickly, his tail hardening to steel-like density and swung it through the air, hitting Latios hard in the side. Latios cried in pain.

Clair grinned. "Dragonair, we got him, use Iron Tail again!"

"Latios, catch it!" Ash yelled.

"Huh?" Everyone muttered in confusion.

Dragonair once again swung his tail in a wide arc at Latios, but the eon dragon quickly extended his forelegs, and, just as Ash had ordered, caught the Iron Tail in his claws. "Latios, DragonBreath!" Ash yelled.

"Shake him off, Dragonair!" Clair cried in alarm.

Latios took a deep breath and exhaled a potent torrent of white flames as Dragonair tried to wiggle his tail free of Latios' grip. He wasn't fast enough, and got blasted directly by the close-range DragonBreath.

Even so, Dragonair quickly recovered, even after taking such a direct hit. Both Pokemon stared fiercely at each other, awaiting their next order. Ash smirked, getting an idea. "Latios, use your feathers to become invisible!"

Clair looked confused, but gasped when suddenly Latios simply disappeared into thin air. Dragonair began to frantically look around. "Dragonair, fire Dragon Rage at where Latios was!" Clair shouted up to her dragon. Maybe Latios hadn't moved? This turned out not to be the case, however, when the energy sphere that Dragonair spat simply passed through the air harmlessly without hitting anything.

"Latios, tackle!" Ash shouted. He couldn't see where Latios was, but he could sense him, like he had many times in Altomare before. Latios had told him that it was probably because of the soul exchange.

"Try to predict where he'll attack From!" Clair ordered. Dragonair kept looking around, but it was useless. Latios rammed into Dragonair's mid-section hard, sending the dragon back a few meters.

"Latios keep tackling!" Ash shouted. Latios did just that, tackling Dragonair hard multiple times. Every body slam sent some distance Dragonair back. Dragonair tried to respond, but every time he did, Latios was already preparing to hit him from another angle.

Clair growled as she watched how Dragonair was getting knocked around, giving small cries of pain at every tackle while helplessly trying to locate the invisible Latios, but Dragonair's efforts were futile. If Clair didn't think of something, Dragonair would lose. _'First that Latios is very fast and now he can turn invisible, how do I beat him?' _Clair wondered. Suddenly an idea clicked in her head. "Dragonair, Rain Dance!" Dragonair's neck sphere began shining as clouds formed above him. Suddenly, a heavy downpour began to fall.

Clair smirked. "Dragonair, look for where the rain bounces oddly, or where the rain parts a little, that's where Latios is!" Suddenly, she spotted something in the rain that seemed odd, like the raindrops were hitting something mid-air. "Dragon Rage!"

Dragonair quickly spat a powerful energy sphere that exploded against Latios, pushing him back. He grunted at the impact. _'Clever, using rain to spot me,' _he thought to himself.

"Brilliant, Clair is using the rain to pinpoint Latios' position even while invisible!" Brock noted. Misty nodded. Latias looked worried. Pikachu was impressed by Latios's fighting ability. He had definitely grown strong, at least from not knowing how to battle. This was a very good advance.

"Latios, hit him with Psychic!" Ash yelled.

"Dragonair, Protect yourself with safeguard!" Clair countered. Dragonair's body was surrounded by an aurora of many colors as Latios' eyes glowed a bright bluish white, grabbing Dragonair psychically and smashing him into the floor. But thanks to the safeguard, the damage was minimized.

"Latios, time to end this, Dragonair is tired from all those tackles. Finish this with Luster Purge!" Ash ordered, already tasting his last badge. Latios' body began to shine as he started drawing in his power, his glowing body making a nice contrast against the clouds and rain.

Clair's eyes widened, she had heard of that attack before and knew it was strong, so she ordered Dragonair's strongest attack as well. "Hyper Beam!"

Dragonair opened his mouth and began to charge the Hyper Beam, creating a ball of volatile orange energy aimed at Latios. After a few seconds both Pokemon fired their respective attacks, Latios releasing the Luster Purge in the form of a large white sphere at least his own size. As for Dragonair, he fired the Hyper Beam, launching an orange beam directly at the incoming Luster Purge.

Both attacks crashed, but the second they collided the Luster Purge started tearing the Hyper Beam apart, dissipating the attack as Clair's and Dragonair's eyes widened in astonishment. With a bright explosion of light, the Luster Purge hit Dragonair, temporarily blinding everyone, lifting some dust and creating a small smokescreen.

Latios flew down and stopped until he was floating directly in front of Ash. When the smoke dissipated and the dust settled, Dragonair was revealed to be unconscious in a small crater, his eyes two swirls.

The referee raised the red flag. "Dragonair is unable to continue! The winner of this battle is Ash Ketchum!"

Ash cheered loudly as he hugged Latios, just like he'd done after Latios' first battle. Latias also ran over to hug him. Latios smiled at the sign of affection. "You won Latios! We did it! The final Badge is ours!" Ash cheered.

Clair smiled as she returned her defeated Dragonair, she walked to where Ash was celebrating with Latios and took out a small box. "Ash Ketchum, congratulations on defeating me, you have earned yourself a Rising Badge!" Clair announced, opening the Box and revealing the Badge. It was shaped like a dragon head, completely black with red mouth, ears, eyes and nose, and a white outline.

Ash parted from Latios and took the badge, proudly lifting it in the Air. "Yeah, I won a Rising Badge!" Ash shouted dramatically as a dynamic styled background appeared behind him.

Clair smiled again at the enthusiastic show before turning to Latios. She gave the Eon dragon a formal bow. "It was an honor for me to battle a Legendary Dragon such as yourself, Latios. May you guide your trainer to greatness."

Latios returned the bow, and gave a small coo.

Ash turned to Clair. "He says thanks."

Clair chuckled. "He's very much welcome."

With the battle finished and the final badge obtained, the group returned to the Pokemon Center to have a good night's rest and to heal the team that had battled Clair. Now the journey to the Silver Conference begins!

* * *

**Please be kind and leave a review! **

**Sorry for any Spelling or grammar mistakes I may have.**

**YAY! Ash won the Rising Badge! Hope you all liked the Ash vs. Clair!**

**Now to Register to the Silver Conference!**

**Until next chapter!**


	6. Receiving A Pokemon Egg!

**Disclaimer: I don't Own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

"_Telepathy"_

A/N: Here's chapter 6! Also thanks to all who are reading and enjoying the Story!

* * *

We find our small group of heroes entering the Blackthorn City Pokemon Center, having just won the Rising Badge from Clair. At the moment they needed to heal the team that had battled for the badge, and make a few calls and swaps with the Professors.

Misty and Latias had Brock currently under intense watch. He knew he couldn't move close to Nurse Joy or he'd get in trouble with the two girls, so he resigned himself to his fate and stayed where he was without moving or making a comment. Misty and Latias gave an approving nod to each other. Brock swore under his breath, he hadn't counted on Latias helping Misty in restraining him.

Ash walked up to Nurse Joy and smiled. "Hello again, Nurse Joy!"

"Hello to you too, I assume you lost at the Blackthorn Gym? Almost everyone does on their first try," Nurse Joy said offhandedly. The Blackthorn Gym was the hardest Gym in Johto, even more difficult than Ecruteak City's Ghost Pokemon Gym.

"Nope! I won," Ash said proudly. He took out a small case and opened it, revealing all eight Johto Badges needed to enter the Silver Conference. "But I do need to heal the Pokemon that fought at the gym, the battle was quite intense." Ash said, handing over Snorlax and Latios' Pokeballs. Pikachu jumped over the reception to where the heal machine was.

"Sure," Nurse Joy replied, activating the machine. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks!" Ash exclaimed happily. He was very proud of himself and on his team for winning that badge.

After a few seconds of healing, Nurse Joy returned the Pokeballs to Ash. He gladly took them as Pikachu jumped over to his shoulder. "Thanks again," Ash said while turning away to the phones.

"You're welcome," Nurse Joy said, turning around to do some stuff in the backrooms.

Ash sat at the phone and dialed Professor Elm's number, since he still had to do the 'favor' Professor Oak had spoken of. "Wonder what Professor Elm wants now," Brock commented.

"Nothing too big I hope," Ash mumbled.

Professor Elm's face appeared on the screen. "Hello? Professor Elm here."

"Hello Professor!" Ash greeted.

"Ash, hello there," Professor Elm greeted back politely. "I assume you won the Rising Badge already?"

"Yup," Ash confirmed. Pikachu nodded.

"Well, as you know you have to come back to New Bark Town to register for the Silver Conference, so I was wondering if on your way back you could stop at the Marine Pokemon Laboratory to retrieve a Pokemon egg for me. Don't worry, the detour shouldn't take long."

"Okay, but how do I get there?" Ash asked.

"Well, the Johto guide book should have directions, and I think Brock has it, am I right?" Elm asked.

Brock opened his backpack and pulled out a book. "Yes professor, I have it right here."

Elm nodded. "Very well, I'll wait for you here Ash."

"Alright. Thanks, Professor. Good-bye," Ash said, ending the call.

"Well Ash, can you release Latios so I can give him the directions to the Marine Research Laboratory and New Bark Town?" Brock suggested, having found the address in his guidebook.

Ash shrugged and released Latios. The Eon dragon listened as Brock started giving him instructions, while Ash dialed Oak's number.

After a few minutes, the other Pokemon Professor appeared on the screen. "Hello there Ash, did you win at the Gym?" Oak asked in greeting.

Ash nodded. "I got the Rising badge and I've already talked to Professor Elm. I just called to swap a few Pokemon, I'd like to get Tododile and Phanpy and return Snorlax and Noctowl to the lab."

Professor Oak nodded and disappeared to get the Pokemon Ash wanted. While the Professor was offscreen, Ash turned to look at the rest of his traveling group. Currently Brock was holding what looked like a Johto map in front of Latios and pointing a few spots while Latias and Misty looked on in curiosity. Ash idly wondered why Brock was telling Latios the way to get to the Marine Pokemon Laboratory and not him. Maybe he'd ask him when he was finished.

Professor Oak came back on screen and placed two Pokeballs on the teleporter. Ash did the same. The machine flashed and swapped the Pokeballs. "Thanks Professor, I'm heading to Elm's place now," Ash told the Professor while putting his new Pokeballs away.

"Alright Ash, I'm going to the Silver Conference as well, but I'm going to pass Elm's lab first. Maybe we'll meet there. Please promise me that you'll show me that Legendary Pokemon of yours!" Professor Oak begged. He had only seen a small number of Legendary Pokemon, and it was always exciting to see a new one. Besides, this was one he had never seen before, or even knew what it was.

Ash smiled. "That will be Latios's choice, not mine. See ya professor!"

Professor Oak nodded. "Alright Ash. Good-bye."

With that, they ended the call, Ash turned and walked to join the rest of the group. Brock had already finished telling Latios the instructions. "So, everything clear Latios?" Brock asked.

Latios nodded. _"Yes, everything is clear."_

Brock noticed that Ash had joined them. "I've finished telling Latios the directions to the Marine Research Lab and New Bark Town, he'll take you there. Misty and I will depart now to Silver Town."

Ash nodded. "Sure, I'll catch up with you guys there."

Brock turned to Latios. "Listen, this is the most important thing in the trip Latios, so pay attention." Latios looked at Brock, wondering what Brock could have forgotten. "Listen Latios, whatever you do, don't you dare let Ash near the map. You do all the navigating and don't follow any direction Ash tells you to. If you do, you'll end up hopelessly lost," Brock told the Eon dragon in a stern voice. Latias and Latios laughed at that while Ash glared at Brock.

"_Alright, but why would we end up lost?" _Latios asked in mild curiosity.

Misty didn't even hesitate to answer. "Because Ash is a disaster at navigating. Every time he sets the course, we end up lost."

Ash glared at her. "That's not true!"

"Yes it is and you know it," Pikachu said flatly. Ash sulked a little. Latias and Latios laughed a bit more, through Latias only made the motions since her human form couldn't produce sounds.

"Well, we're going to start heading to Silver Town. See you there!" Misty said, waving at Ash. Brock did the same as they started walking down the road. Ash waved back and voiced his good-byes, Latias, Latios and Pikachu doing the same.

Ash looked at Latios. "So, I guess we should start out to this Marine Lab. Can I see the map?" Ash asked eagerly.

Latios immediately held the map out of Ash's reach. "I'd like to follow Brock's advice for now."

Ash sighed. "My navigational skills are not that bad!"

"Yes they are," Pikachu muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Latias glanced around and resumed her true form. "Is Ash that bad?" She asked.

"Yes, I've lost count of how many times we've gotten lost because of him." Pikachu answered.

Ash sighed again, but decided to give in for now. "Well, I'd like to introduce someone to you two," Ash announced. He took out a Pokeball, releasing a small red blue elephant-like Pokemon. "This is Phanpy, he'll be traveling with us for now."

The small elephant Pokemon looked around and smiled cheerfully when he spotted Ash. "Daddy!" he chimed happily, tackling Ash and knocking him to the ground.

Latias and Latios looked at the Pokemon curiously. "Why did he call Ash, 'Daddy'?" Latias asked.

Pikachu decided to answer because Ash was currently trying to get Phanpy off of him. "Well, Ash won a Pokemon egg at a race a few months back, and the egg hatched into this little guy. Since Ash was the one that hatched him and the first person he ever saw, he refers to Ash as his daddy," Pikachu summarized, recalling the race and the following adventure.

Ash finally managed to pry Phanpy off him. "Well, it's nice to see you again Phanpy. You'll be coming with us from now on."

Phanpy cheered loudly before turning to Pikachu. "Hi uncle Pikachu!"

"Hi kid, how's everyone at the lab?" Pikachu inquired.

"Everyone's nice and fun, they're doing well!" The small elephant-like Pokemon answered happily before spotting Latias and Latios. He turned to them and smiled. "Hi! Who are you?"

"I'm Latios," Latios introduced himself.

"And I'm Latias!" Latias said more cheerfully than Latios. She flew down and gave Phanpy a hug. She had always liked young children, she thought they were cute.

"They're new members of our 'family' now Phanpy," Ash told him.

Latias pulled back as Phanpy cheered, overjoyed by this. Ash smiled and returned him to his pokeball, once again mentally thanking Latios for giving him the ability to understand Pokemon. He now knew he had a surrogate son.

"Well, we should get going now, that way we'll reach New Bark Town by night." Latios suggested.

Ash looked confused. "Eh, What now?"

Latios chuckled and lowered himself until he was hovering a foot or two off the ground. "Climb on."

Ash gulped. "Are you sure?" Latios nodded.

Ash slowly climbed on top of Latios, seating himself just in front of his wings. Latios hovered back to usual height and Pikachu jumped on top of Latias.

Latios chuckled a little. "You know Ash, you should feel honored. You're the second human I willingly let ride on my back. The first was Bianca."

"I guess I am," Ash agreed, slightly bemused by this.

"Ash, grab tight to my neck and don't let go," Latios instructed, not wanting a mid-air accident. "Ready?"

Ash steadied himself and wrapped his arms around Latios' neck, almost in a hug. "I'm ready."

Latios nodded to Latias, and both took off at a moderate pace, heading to the coastline so they could get to the Marine Research Lab. Latias and Latios ascended they were high enough to not be spotted easily from the ground. They also avoided flying over towns or Cities, not wanting to draw attention.

After a while Ash looked down and noticed that while they were flying fast, the PokeDex had said that they could fly even faster. "Latios, can't you fly faster? I remember the PokeDex said that you could fly faster than Jet Planes."

"I don't fly at that speed because if I were to do that, you'd die. Your body isn't used to flying at that speed or resisting that kind of pressure. This is the fastest I can go without hurting you," Latios answered. "Besides, it's going to take us just a few hours at our current speed." Ash nodded with a blank look, trying to sort out what Latios had said. At least he got that Latios was trying not to hurt him.

They kept flying, following the coastline towards the research lab in a southernly direction. After about four hours of flight, a small white building came into view below, resting on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. Latios looked at it. _'Yep, that's the Marine Lab, according to Brock.'_

Latias and Latios slowed the pace a bit until they were in front of the building. Latios lowered himself to allow Ash to hop off. The human stumbled around and fell to the ground, rather dizzy. Latias giggled a little.

Ash struggled a little to stand up. He wasn't used to such long flights, at least it had been fun while it lasted. After a few minutes passed Ash had recovered, Ash returned Latios to his Pokeball and Latias transformed into Bianca. Ash walked up to the main door and knocked. Soon a woman in her mid-twenties opened the door. She had short bright red hair and was wearing a lab coat.

"Hello, I'm Naomi, the Director of this facility. You must be Ash, right?" She asked kindly.

Ash nodded. "Yes, I'm Ash, but how did you know my name?"

"Well, Professor Elm told me of your arrival, so I was expecting you. He told me you'd have a Pikachu with you. It's nice to meet you both," She answered. "And who's your friend?"

He turned to Latias, "This is... uhh... Bianca," Ash said. Latias gave a small shy wave.

Naomi nodded. "Please come in."

Ash and Latias entered the small Lab, looking around at all the equipment that was there. It all looked very scientific and completely beyond their comprehension. "Wait here," Naomi told them, entering a small back room.

"_Looks nice," _Latias commented, glancing around at all the neatly stored equipment, everything was shining clean and the place looked in perfect order.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, looking around as well. The lab looked different to what he recalled of professor Oak's own Lab. There were more charts and diagrams of Water Pokemon here, and machinery that looked like it could be used in the ocean.

Naomi came back out holding a small incubator. Inside it was a dark forest green egg. "This egg was secured by a local Officer Jenny from a group of Pokemon Poachers. Please take it to professor Elm and take care of it."

Ash frowned in alarm. "Poor little one, the egg was stolen? The mother must be crushed." Latias nodded in agreement, a sad look on her face.

Naomi sighed. "Yes, but maybe Professor Elm can figure out where this egg comes from to return it home. We don't know what might hatch, but it shouldn't be long now."

Ash nodded and took the incubator. The second he touched it, he felt a small jolt shoot through his body, and the sound of faint crying echoed in his mind. He could almost 'feel' the sadness coming from the egg. He felt drawn to it in a special way.

Naomi noticed the small yet subtle shudder Ash made when he felt the 'jolt'. "Something wrong, Ash?" She asked. Pikachu and Latias gave him a concerned look.

Ash shook his head. "No, everything is fine."

Naomi nodded. "Take good care of it."

Ash looked at it. "It's in good hands, don't worry. Thanks a lot Naomi, I'm off. Bye." Ash said, turning around and walking toward the exit.

Naomi smiled. "Good bye to you too. And you as well, Bianca." Latias smiled, waved, and followed Ash.

Ash looked down at the egg as he headed toward the exit. _'I wonder what that was about?' _He unconsciously hugged the incubator tighter.

* * *

Meanwhile...

A man was currently sitting behind a desk in an office adorned with expensive furniture. He was looking into a computer with various records. A Persian was lying beside his chair. The man was quite tall and wore an orange, very expensive-looking suit.

A small voice box in the desk beeped to life and a female voice spoke up, apparently a secretary. "Boss, agents Annie and Oakley have returned and are reporting in."

The now identified 'Boss' grunted and pushed a button on the voice box. "Send them in."

A few minutes later the two aforementioned agents entered the office, both sporting nervous looks. They knew they had failed the last mission, and the 'boss' hated failure. "Reporting in, boss Giovanni," Annie and Oakley said in unison. They knew better than to show weakness in front of him.

"What's the status of the prior mission? You're eight days late!" Giovanni growled, power in his voice.

"We…failed, boss." Oakley muttered. It was the first time the two sisters had ever failed a mission.

"FAILED!" Giovanni bellowed angrily, causing both Annie and Oakley to flinch. He calmed a little, taking a few deep breaths. "Give me a detailed report."

Oakley nodded. "We managed to obtain all the information about the island and the rumored Jewel and Guardians, but the capture of the Jewel and Guardians was foiled by a Pokemon Trainer, resulting in both mine and Annie's capture. We were detained for about a week before managing to escape."

"Did you lose any of our technology or leak any information?" Giovanni asked. Right now that's what concerned him most, that anyone had obtained any information regarding Team Rocket and their internal affairs.

"All of our equipment was safely recovered, and we escaped before we could be properly interrogated," Annie answered quickly.

"All gathered information on the mission was sent to your personal database as per protocol," Oakley reported.

Giovanni nodded. "So, are the Guardians and the Jewel as valuable as estimated?"

"Yes, the Jewel was far more powerful than originally expected. It can move an entire ocean, in this case the one surrounding the vicinity of Altomare. If such an energy were harvested, we could create a very powerful weapon per computer estimations." Oakley summarized. All that info was already in the report sent to the Team Rocket database, but this was mostly for reference.

Annie continued. "As for the Guardians, the Legendary Pokemon Latias and Latios, they at first didn't prove very combat capable…but that can be changed with a rigorous training program under our specialists. Even so they proved capable of stopping a city-sized tsunami."

Giovanni nodded. "So they are worth it…I'll tolerate this failure just this once, however I expect better results in future assignments."

"Yes sir," Both Annie and Oakley said in unison.

"Assist professor Sebastian in his current assignment. After that, you two are to capture Latios and Latias at any cost, as well as retrieve the Jewel."

"But what if there is interference again?" Oakley asked. She hated when trainers got in the way.

"I said at any cost. I cannot afford to lose another chance like this, if anyone gets in your way to the guardians, kill them, but leave no evidence." Giovanni muttered angrily. He was sick and tired of snot-nosed trainers interrupting his plans. Surely nobody would notice if a few of them were to disappear? Annie and Oakley nodded. "I have very interesting plans for the Kanto and Johto Regions, I can't have some trainers ruin them. You have my full authorization to deal with them in any way you deem fit. Pass that news to all Team Rocket field agents," Giovanni said darkly.

"Yes Sir!" Annie and Oakley chorused eagerly. Now they could deal with that brat and his Pikachu their own way.

"Dismissed."

Both sisters nodded and turned to leave, both on the same trail of thought.

_'I'll have Ariados poison him to death,'_ Oakley thought.

_'I'll have Espeon crush his head,'_ Annie thought.

Both exited the office, leaving Giovanni alone. His Persian purred as he scratched him behind the ear. He turned to his computer, ready to check all the data Annie and Oakley had gathered…and wait for them to complete their latest mission.

* * *

**A/N: Well, hope you all like the chapter!**

**Until next time in "A New Chance At Life." To Be Continued... **


	7. A Mother's Pride

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

As always…

"Speech"

"_Telepathy"_

'_Thoughts'_

A/N: Here's chapter 7! The lucky number! Thanks to all who have been keeping up and reading the tale. Also many thanks to my Beta Reader, he's been helping out a lot.

* * *

"Hello Professor!" Ash called as he entered Professor Elm's Lab, having flown from the Marine Research Lab aboard Latios. Latias entered behind him, disguised as Bianca, as usual. Pikachu shouted a greeting as well, not really expecting it to be returned.

Professor Elm looked up at Ash. He was currently sitting on a couch, probably enjoying a small break from his work. "Well hello Ash, it's good to see you again. Congratulations on getting all those badges, by the way!"

Ash grinned. "Of course Professor! Next time you congratulate me, it'll be for winning the Silver Conference."

"That I'd like to see. So who's this lovely girl?" Professor Elm inquired, glancing at the disguised Latias.

"This is Bianca, a friend of mine," Ash answered. Latias gave a small shy wave.

"Well, I'm professor Elm, nice to meet you," Professor Elm introduced himself kindly. Latias flashed a small smile back. "So Ash, how's the egg doing?" Elm asked.

Ash grabbed his backpack and opened it, taking out the small incubator inside. Ash showed it to professor Elm, who carefully took it from Ash. The second it left Ash's hands, Ash once again heard the sound of very faint crying, and also felt quite sad.

Latias looked at him in worry, she had sensed what happened to Ash when he first took the egg, and now it was happening again. Even though in human form most of her psychic senses were diminished, she could still sense some things. She couldn't make out what was happening through, she only sensed that _something_ had happened.

Professor Elm seemed to not have noticed anything. "Well this little guy sure looks nice, I'll check if it's completely healthy." He began walking to a small machine in the back of the room.

"_Ash, what's wrong?"_ Latias inquired telepathically.

Ash gave a startled jump, almost making Pikachu fall off his shoulder. He had been so caught up in thinking about the egg that Latias' question had startled him. He turned to look at her. "Nothing, I'm fine," He lied. He didn't know how to explain this to her.

Latias gave him an annoyed look. She put her hands on her hips and scolded him._ "No, something's up with you and you're telling me what it is right now!"_

"She's right Ash, you've been acting weird ever since receiving that egg," Pikachu agreed. He had known Ash long enough to know when something was bothering him.

Ash signed and gave in. "I'll tell you later, it's a little hard to explain." Latias frowned but decided to let Ash be for now. He was starting to worry her, and Pikachu didn't look any better.

Professor Elm walked up to them. "The egg is perfectly healthy, but we'll have to wait until it hatches to know what will come out so we can return it home."

"Alright professor," Ash answered, happy to hear the egg was okay.

A sudden knock on the door caught everyone's attention. Ash opened it and was quite surprised to see Professor Oak and his mother, Delia. "Hello everyone!" Delia chimed in her usual very cheerful mood. Ash could swear that Latias and his mom were always smiling and cheerful. The second Delia saw Ash, she sprinted and hugged him in a loving motherly way, but why did something seem different about Ash's eyes? Thankfully, Pikachu managed to jump off Ash's shoulder before getting crushed in the hug. Latias looked at them in confusion.

"_Pikachu, who__ is she?" _Latias asked the yellow rodent telepathically.

"That's Ash's mother, and the man behind her is Professor Oak," Pikachu answered. Latias nodded in understanding. Now she knew why she was being so affectionate to Ash.

Professor Elm looked utterly confused, first Pikachu spoke to the girl for some reason, and then the girl had nodded as if she had understood him perfectly. Professor Oak didn't seem to notice.

"So, how's my sweetheart doing?" Delia asked after she finally broke the hug.

"I'm doing great!" Ash answered happily. It had been quite a while since he had last seen his mother.

Professor Oak looked very confused. "Ash, just how did you get here from Blackthorn city so fast? We talked around mid-day after you won the badge from the Blackthorn Gym. How did you get here?"

Ash smirked. "Latios took me here." Both Professors' eyes widened as they remembered Ash had a Legendary Pokemon in his team.

"Latios?" Delia idly wondered. "Isn't that the Legendary Pokemon you caught that Professor Oak doesn't stop babbling about?" Ash, Pikachu and Latias sweatdropped collectively. "Ahh, where are my manners," Delia said once she noticed the girl with Pikachu. "Who's she, Ash? A new friend?" Delia walked closer to the girl. "I'm Delia, nice to meet you!"

"She's Bianca, and yes she's a new friend," Ash introduced her again. It felt awkward to call her 'Bianca' instead of Latias. Latias smiled and waved hello, at least this time it wasn't a shy one. Latias felt comfortable around Delia, it was as if she emitted an aura of happiness and friendship, just like Ash.

"So Ash, can we see your Latios?" Professor Elm asked. He was also itching to see this Legendary Pokemon.

Ash had asked Latios during the flight if he could show him to the Professors, he knew that they were going to ask him to. Latios had asked Ash if he truly trusted the Professors, to which Ash had answered 'yes'. Then Latios had said that as long as Ash stayed near him and the professors didn't try anything funny, it'd be all right with him. Latios wasn't really one for humans.

"Sure, just don't overreact or something like that," Ash told them, reaching for Latios' Pokeball. "And let's go outside to give Latios more space."

Once everyone had walked outside, Ash took a few steps back. "Latios, come out!" he shouted as he threw his Pokeball to the ground. With a bright flash Latios appeared. He eyed the professors cautiously. They didn't seem like bad people, just like Ash had said.

Professor Oak and Elm's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. They had rarely seen a Legendary Pokemon, and now they had one right in front of them. Latios chuckled a little at the look on their faces. It was priceless!

"Incredible," whispered Professor Oak. "A Latios, right in front of me!"

"Congratulations Ash, you got yourself a really rare Pokemon! Finding and capturing him must have been really difficult!" Professor Elm said, looking at Latios a bit closer.

Ash chuckled a little. "The funny thing is, I didn't battle him, I befriended him and he decided to come with me."

Delia smiled as she walked a bit closer to Latios. "That's one impressive Pokemon dear, and a Legendary nonetheless!"

"Ash, did you by chance run into a Pokemon called Latias? It's said that where a Latios is, a Latias is always nearby," Professor Elm asked.

Ash and Pikachu chuckled and glanced at Latias. She blushed at the sudden attention. Ash gave a small nod to her. Professor Elm and Oak looked confused. "Why do you look at her like that?" Oak asked.

Ash smiled and grabbed Latias' arm. "Mom, Professor Elm and Professor Oak, meet Latias, Latios' sister."

All three humans looked utterly baffled. "Ash… she's a human, how can she be a Latias?" Professor Elm asked, very confused. "And how can she be Latios' sister?"

Suddenly the girl was engulfed by a soft blue light, startling the professors. When the light faded, a red and white dragon was floating in her place. She gave a small coo of greeting.

Professor Elm and Professor Oak looked in utter disbelief and were about to faint. Delia looked between Latias and Latios. "Awww, she's so cute!" she squealed, walking forward eagerly and giving Latias a hug. To Delia, Latias was a lot cuter than Latios.

Latios just turned to look at them. Usually when someone got that close to Latias he'd immediately move to defend her, but because it was Ash's mother he let it slip. Besides, everything seemed good about her.

"S-S-She can turn into a h-human," Professor Elm stuttered. He was completely astonished by this. He'd never heard of a Pokemon capable of assuming human shape, heck, he hadn't even known if such a thing was even possible before now.

"Yes, that's one of her abilities, she can shape-shift into a human at will," Ash clarified proudly. "She's amazing isn't she?" Latias blushed slightly at that comment. Latios and Pikachu hid a small snicker. Thankfully no one else noticed because Latias was currently being petted by Delia.

"Impressive," both professors said, completely awestruck.

Professor Oak composed himself a little. "But Ash, I don't remember a Latias appearing in your trainer record," he stated, remembering that only a Latios had appeared in it.

"You mean captured?" Ash asked.

"Essentially, yes," Replied the Pokemon Professor of Kanto.

"Well, I haven't captured her, she doesn't want to battle yet so I keep her like this so I can still have a full six team even with her around. She'll become my Pokemon when she finally decides to be captured and when she learns how to battle well," Ash stated. "Right Latias?"

Having already parted from Delia's hug, Latias flew to his side and nodded eagerly, giving another coo, this time meaning 'yes'. The professors still didn't understand.

"That means that you have two Legendary Pokemon with you?" Professor Elm asked.

"Yes, one officially and the other unofficially, at least for now," Ash said, suddenly felling proud of himself. Having Legendary Pokemon was great! Training them was hard, though. Both Professors looked like they were about to have a heart attack. Pikachu had to choke back a laugh. Ash decided to change the topic. "So, where do I register for the Silver Conference?" he asked eagerly. He couldn't wait for the conference to begin, his prime motivation being kicking Gary's ass in a battle.

"You have to register at the Pokemon Center," Professor Elm told him, pointing at the Pokemon Center in the distance.

Pikachu, Latias and Latios looked at him in utter disbelief. "Why didn't we register at the Blackthorn City Pokemon Center, then?!" Pikachu demanded angrily from Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu has a point, why didn't we register at the Pokemon Center in Blackthorn City?" Ash asked.

"You can understand Pikachu?" Professor Oak asked in astonishment. Ash was simply full of surprises these days.

"Yes, and answer my question please," Ash demanded.

"Well, to prevent confusion and to keep a proper record, only one Pokemon Center in the region is permitted to register Pokemon Trainers to the Silver Conference, in this case, the one in New Bark Town," Professor Elm explained.

Ash sighed along with his Pokemon. "Guess I can't complain about that."

"Yes you can," Pikachu said.

Ash frowned. "Hey yeah, that's right, I can!" Everyone else sweatdropped. "Oh well…I'll go and register. I'll probably sleep at the Pokemon Center, too," Ash said, returning Latios to his Pokeball.

"Alright Ash, we'll wait for you here in the morning," Professor Oak said.

"Wait Ash," Professor Elm said as he walked back at the lab. A few seconds later he exited with the egg incubator. "Here, take it with you for now." Ash nodded and took the egg back gently.

Delia smiled and hugged Ash again. "Congratulations on making it to the league again dear," she congratulated him. She took a small glance at Latias, who was still hovering beside Ash. "Also, nice job with the Legendaries, you finally captured one! Especially a Legendary as cute as this one!"

Latias gave a coo of contentment. Delia walked up and patted Latias gently on the head again, loving the feel of Latias' soft feathers against her hand. Latias gave another happy coo. Pikachu sulked in the back of the group, muttering that Latias now had Delia's affections and was no longer interested in him.

Delia looked at Ash and noticed that he had a small necklace hanging around his neck. She walked to him to examine it closer. The necklace had two small crystal figurines that looked a lot like Ash's new Pokemon, it looked quite cute on Ash. "Nice necklace, did you buy it to match your new Pokemon?" Delia asked.

"No, it was a small gift from her," Ash said, looking at Latias. Pikachu almost started laughing when he remembered the _other_ thank you gift she had given him. The fact that Ash looked like he was forcing back a blush told him that he remembered it as well. Latias giggled happily.

"Well, this looks nice," Delia commented about the necklace. "Also Ash, I notice that there seems to be something a little different about your eyes. They have a reddish tint in them instead of the usual brown," Delia stated.

Ash sighed. _'And I was hoping she didn't notice.'_

"_I was hoping that too.__" _Latias telepathed. She paused. _'Why did I hear Ash's thoughts so easily?' _she wondered to herself.

Ash looked at her. "Well mom, it was…ahhh…a little outcome of one of my usual adventures," Ash answered.

"Let me guess, that little adventure was with Latios and Latias right?" Delia asked.

Ash nodded. "Yes."

"Care to elaborate?" Delia asked.

Ash gulped. "Alright."

Ash began to tell her of his adventure in Altomare, occasionally receiving support from Latias or Pikachu. Ash wisely left out the fact that he nearly died three times, twice from drowning had Latias not saved him and a third time in helping Latios survive, he just told her the only risk was being unconscious for a day.

His mother had scolded him to no end when he almost drowned during the adventure with Lugia, or when he almost fell off the waterfall while infiltrating Entei's crystal tower, or when a giant Celebi-controlled twig monster almost killed him had Suicune not intervened (Brock let slip this one), he didn't want to add another I-almost-died event to his mother's knowledge. Ash had also never told Delia that he actually died during Mew and Mewtwo's fight. He had remembered this after Mewtwo restored his memory at Mt. Quena, in Purity Canyon.

Delia couldn't help but sometimes turn to look at Latias in mild disbelief. Latias and Latios were a lot more powerful and special than she had thought when she had seen them for the first time. Latias and Latios didn't really seem capable of stopping an entire tsunami, and yet they had. They were even viewed as guardian deities in Altomare.

At least what Delia found a lot of comfort in was that with two Pokemon like Latias and Latios her dear son would be a lot safer during his travels. She could now rest assured that two Legendary Pokemon would always protect Ash from anything during his journey and guide him. Her son was in caring hands, or claws...

"So after all this Latias and Latios decided to come with me on my Pokemon journey. Thanks to them now I can understand Pokemon speech!" Ash finished, hoping that his mother didn't view the adventure negatively.

"Alright dear, at least you didn't get in danger again," Delia said in false relief. She suspected Ash was hiding another I-almost-died moment, but decided not to pry. She turned to Latias. "Thanks for helping my son."

Latias cooed and smiled._ 'It's I who should be thanking him,' _she thought to herself.

"She says you're welcome," Ash translated to his mother.

"You know, that Pokemon understanding ability is rather helpful. Maybe you could help me understand Mimey a little better," Delia mused.

"Maybe. Well, I have to go. See you mom!" Ash said. They parted ways and he headed for the Pokemon Center. _'That ended a lot better than I expected. At least I didn't get scolded or something,' _Ash thought, breathing a small sigh of relief.

Much to Delia's surprise, Latias disappeared into thin air, just like Ash had said she could. _'Just how much is that little Pokemon capable of? _Delia thought to herself in pure wonder. She could barely remember all the abilities that Ash had described of her. _'That little dragon girl sure is something else. I assume Latios is just as great.' _She wondered if Ash could really win the Silver Conference with them. _'Latias and Latios, please protect my son during his travels and make sure he always stays safe,' _she silently wished.

As Ash disappeared from view, she walked back inside the Lab.

* * *

Ash smiled as he entered the New Bark Town Pokemon Center. "Finally! I'm just one step closer to the Silver Conference," Ash said happily.

"Well aren't we a little enthusiastic?" Nurse Joy chided from behind the counter. "Let me guess, you came here to register for the Silver Conference?" Ash nodded eagerly and walked over to her.

"_Seriously, how can there be so many Nurse Joys!"_ Latias whined telepathically, she was starting to get a headache from pondering this. When she asked Latios, he had groaned and told her to ask someone else.

Pikachu sighed. "I already told you, it's completely unknown. But maybe Brock can give you a few answers."

Latias huffed. _"I'd rather die than ask something of that pervert!"_

Pikachu laughed. He found Latias' dislike of Brock's perverted side rather funny. Even more that every time Brock tried something, Latias would prank him.

Ash ignored the little display behind him and decided to continue with the registration. "Here are my eight badges, Nurse Joy."

"Okay," Nurse Joy said as she took Ash's Badges and inserted them in a machine, most likely to verify that they were authentic. Nurse Joy couldn't count the number of fools that had tried to register with fake badges. The Machine gave a small 'beep' and flashed a green light. "Just give me your PokeDex so your registration will be complete," Nurse Joy told him. Ash did as he was told and handed over his PokeDex. Nurse Joy inserted the PokeDex in a slot in the machine. Soon it gave another beep, signaling that the registration was successfully completed. "All set and ready to go. You are registered at the Silver Conference. From here, go to Silver Town and verify your matchups for the preliminaries, good luck!" Nurse Joy informed Ash. "Also the conference starts in 13 days, so prepare yourself and train hard."

Ash nodded. "Very well, for now I'd like a room for the night."

"Room 7 is unused, you can take it," Nurse Joy said, pointing to the stairs.

"Okay, thanks Nurse Joy," Ash thanked her. He started heading toward the stairs, the still invisible Latias following him.

After some walking and reading room numbers, they arrived at room number 7, which was pretty much the same as any other Pokemon Center room. Ash headed toward the bed on the right side and took out the incubator from his backpack, gently lowering it onto his bed. Latios released himself from his Pokeball, jumping at the opportunity to get some fresh air. Ash took a seat on the bed and stared at the incubator. "Are you going to tell me what's up with you concerning that egg?" Latias asked gently as she resumed visibility, hovering closer to the bed until she was just in front of Ash. Latios and Pikachu listened in. Latios had sensed what had happened to Ash, even inside his Pokeball.

Ash sighed. At least he found Latias's gentle tone soothing. Maybe they could help him in figuring out what was happening to him. "Alright, you see, when I first took the egg I felt a small jolt course through me, and for some reason it felt as if I was hit by a wave of pain and sadness. I also heard the sound of faint crying echoing in my mind." Ash paused to gather his thoughts a little better. "This happens to me every time I leave the egg out of my sight for too long, almost as if the egg was calling to me in a way."

Latias hummed in thought, trying to make sense out of this, but nothing occurred to her. "Brother, do you know something about this?" Latias asked Latios.

Latios frowned in thought. "Well… possibly the egg is transmitting its feelings. Since it was stolen, maybe even as an egg, the infant is in pain because of the loss of its mother's love, so it wants to transmit those feelings to someone, like pleading for help. Maybe the egg chose Ash for this because he is pure hearted, so it trusts him. At least that's what I believe," Latios answered.

Ash smiled. "If that's the case, I won't fail the egg!"

Latios signed. "The only problem is how can we find this infant's parents, or even know who they are?"

Ash's hopes crashed. "Well, maybe we can wait until the egg hatches, and then we'll know which Pokemon it is. That'll narrow the search a lot." Latios shrugged, that was their best bet for now. Ash yawned. "Well, I'm taking a bath and I'm going to sleep."

That said the little group got ready for bed, hoping that the next day would be just as peaceful as this one. Ash's last thoughts before falling to sleep were about the egg. He wished that they could succeed in finding its parents.

* * *

**Well that was all for Chapter 7! Hope you all like it a lot!**

**Please be kind and leave a Review! They are all fondly appreciated!**

**Until Chapter 8… see ya later!**


	8. A Child's Distress

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech."

'_Thoughts.'_

'_Telepathy.'_

* * *

It was about three in the morning. Inside the Pokemon Center, a certain group slept. The bedroom had two beds, one on each side of the room. In the one to the right, Latias and Latios slept peacefully. They always slept together in the secret garden, high in the treetops, and saw no reason to change that habit. Usually whenever the group camped out in the open, Latios burst out of his Pokeball to sleep outdoors, stating that he really didn't like being stuffed in a Pokeball for too long. On the bed to the left Ash and Pikachu were also sleeping. However, Ash wasn't really enjoying his night.

With a gasp the trainer suddenly woke up, sitting up in bed, panting and covered in cold sweat. He had just had a horrible yet weird nightmare, but he didn't really understand it. His abrupt awakening was enough to disturb Pikachu from his slumber, and he did the only thing that a suddenly startled electric rodent could do when abruptly woken up: he released a tremendous amount of electricity. The bed turned yellow as Ash screamed in pain, electricity coursing through his body.

The sound of Pikachu's outburst was enough to wake up Latias and Latios. Both raised their heads to get a better view of what was happening at the other bed. They saw that Ash was in a sitting position, his form blackened and smoking. Pikachu was standing beside him with a sheepish look on his face, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Both eon dragons had a very good guess as to what had happened. "Sorry," Pikachu apologized, gesturing to the slightly carbonized Ash. Latias and Latios sweatdropped. With the use of his psychic abilities, Latios turned the lights on.

"What was that for?" Ash asked weakly, still a little dazed after being shocked. At least he was used to Pikachu's electrical attacks by now.

Latios got up and floated closer to Ash. "Are you alright?"

"Maybe…" Ash whimpered, still roasted a little.

"Why did you shock Ash?" Latios asked Pikachu.

"He woke up all of a sudden and I got a little startled," Pikachu answered, not really used to Ash waking up like that. Usually Ash slept in most days.

Ash's eyes widened in dread, remembering his nightmare. Latios noticed this. "Something wrong, Ash?" He inquired calmly, a sleepy tone in his voice.

"I had a really weird nightmare. I just can't understand it," Ash muttered. Latios looked at him in puzzlement.

"Care to describe it?" Latios asked, curious as to why the nightmare seemed to have shaken Ash so much.

"I don't know how to describe it," Ash stated. "Latios, you're a psychic, can't you read my mind and see it yourself?"

"Well, I could. But invading someone's mind without consent is _very_ rude, and I wouldn't want to invade your personal mind space," Latios answered.

"Don't worry, you have my consent. But Just the nightmare, nothing else please," Ash said.

"Alright," Latios murmured. His eyes started glowing slightly, as he gently read Ash' mind, heading directly for the memory of the nightmare. Ash felt weird. When Latios started reading his mind, he felt how Latios' mind was a lot larger than his own. Then again, Latios was a Legendary Pokemon as well as a psychic, and Ash was a mere human. After that he felt oddly… calm. Latios was being gentle with his mind, not wanting to hurt him.

Latios quickly found the nightmare. _'What a weird dream,'_ he thought to himself.

The nightmare Latios saw was depicted from Ash's viewpoint, inside a spherical yet transparent prison, which Latios quickly deduced was really the egg Ash was taking care of. Ash was seeing through the infant's eyes. How the egg could have done this puzzled Latios. Maybe the kid was special? In front of the egg there was a colossal Pokemon which Latios recognized as a Tyranitar fighting an even larger machine. The machine hit Tyranitar with a powerful attack, cutting a large hole in her chest. The whole world went black, and then lights reappeared as the egg was being taken away, the figures of the Tyranitar and machine fighting becoming smaller with each passing second. The faint cry of 'Mommy!' could be heard constantly in a distressed child's voice.

Three humans appeared in the distance. Latios deduced they were the poachers Naomi had told them of in the Marine Research Lab, and that this nightmare Ash had witnessed was really the egg telling its story. The memory went black, telling Latios this was when Ash had woken up.

Latios's eyes stopped glowing as he relaxed, Ash doing the same. "Well Latios, what does it mean?" Ash asked, hoping that Latios could give him some insight. After all, Latios was a psychic, he probably understood the way minds worked a lot better than him.

Latios turned to look at Ash. "What you witnessed was the story of how the egg was abducted, the rest you should figure it out quite easily." Ash's eyes widened a little as slowly the nightmare began to make sense.

"Ah, sorry to interrupt, but can you tell me just what you're talking about?" Pikachu grumbled, feeling a little left out. He was starting to get jealous of both eon dragons' psychic abilities.

"I didn't read his mind, care to tell me as well?" Latias asked. She didn't want to intrude into Ash's mind if it wasn't needed. She too knew that it wasn't a nice thing to do, especially to a close friend.

Latios nodded. "Sure, I'll use my ability to project my memories of what I saw in Ash's mind." Latios's eyes started glowing again as he projected his memories of the nightmare into Latias's and Pikachu's minds. A minute later he was finished. "Understand a little better now?" Latios asked. They nodded.

"Thanks Latios," Ash added, finally understanding fully what the dream had meant.

Latios smiled. "Sure, No problem."

Ash reached for his backpack and took out his PokeDex. He began looking through the images of the Pokemon that inhabited the Johto Region, and stopped when he found one that looked like the one in his dream. The PokeDex beeped and said in its mechanical voice, "Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon. Tyranitar has a heavily armored body that can withstand powerful attacks and is able to crush a mountain with one hand. This Pokémon wanders about in mountains seeking new opponents to fight."

Ash, Pikachu, Latias and Latios gulped. "Holy crap. I hope that when we deliver the kid to her, she recognizes that we're just trying to help and she doesn't attack us. I don't want to fight something that strong," Ash said.

"And knowing the luck we have, she'll think we're the ones who took her egg in the first place and try to kill us from the start," Pikachu added, sounding sure of himself and quite annoyed.

"I second that," Ash grumbled. Ash continued looking at the Pokemon on the screen. He noticed it was a Dark-Type, meaning that Latios had a major disadvantage. Ash idly wondered if Latios could match it in a battle.

Latios almost choked. "Are you kidding, I'm not fighting that!" Latios exclaimed.

Ash looked at Latios in annoyance. "Didn't you say reading other's minds was rude?"

"I didn't read your mind, I picked up your thoughts, which is something completely different," Latios clarified.

Latias nodded. "He's right, reading your mind and reading your thoughts are two different things. Reading your mind means to look at all your memories, all the things you know and all your secrets, basically know _everything_ about you, which is something neither me nor my brother have done to you. Like he said, it's too rude. Reading your thoughts are just picking up what you're thinking at the moment or saying in your mind. Besides, he didn't make any effort to hear it, I heard it as well."

Latios continued. "Sometimes, as psychics, my sister and I pick up stray thoughts of others without really wanting to. But just thoughts, not entire memories or pieces of a mind."

"Alright, but how did you pick up my thoughts?" Ash asked. "Does that mean I'm becoming a Psychic too?" He remembered Latios had told everyone that he might get some new abilities because of the Life Force exchange he went through to heal Latios, and later himself. Understanding Pokemon was the first benefit. Maybe there were others?

Lation hummed a little in thought before voicing his answer. "Maybe. I have to admit that using telepathy with you has gotten easier with each passing day. You see Ash, using my telepathy with Latias is very easy since we're siblings. Using telepathy with a human is harder and more limited as we have no ties to them. But using telepathy with you has become easier than doing it with Brock and Misty, so there's a chance that this might be because you're starting to develop psychic powers."

Ash felt like he was going to explode from happiness until Latios continued. "However, Psychic abilities are not developed overnight. You could take years just to _start_ being able to do something psychic, in addition to the years it takes to learn how to use them." Ash's hopes crashed rather violently. Latias giggled at his expression. "Don't worry; it may also take just months, or maybe even weeks. It depends," Latios reassured him. Ash just grumbled incoherently. Why did he have to wait to get cool stuff?

"You know Latios," Pikachu started. "Ever since Ash met you two he's been acting a little smarter. Maybe this whole psychic thing is boosting his brainpower. The old Ash wouldn't have understood a thing about that whole mind and thought thing," Pikachu said, cautiously eyeing Ash out the corner of his eye.

Ash fumed. Latias and Latios laughed wholeheartedly. "That's not true at all!" Ash yelled.

"Of course, there are still things that have to be worked out. You're still way too childish." Pikachu continued.

"Am not!" Ash countered, horrified at the idea. He wasn't childish, right?

"Are too," Pikachu answered back calmly.

"Am not!" Ash countered again, an edge in his voice.

"Are too," Pikachu said again.

"Am not!" Ash shouted again.

"Then why are you arguing with me so childishly?" Pikachu asked, tilting his head to the side with a devilish smile adorning his lips.

Ash looked like he wanted to commit suicide. "I'm still growing up," Ash grumbled under his breath. Pikachu laughed.

"Don't worry, I didn't mean all that, you're perfectly fine as you are." Pikachu comforted him, jumping into Ash's lap and giving him a small hug. "Besides, I just couldn't resist the chance to mess with you a little," he continued. Ash looked at him in annoyance. Latias and Latios looked at the little scene with interest. Traveling with Ash certainly was fun, even if it was about three and a half in the morning.

A powerful glow suddenly erupted. The foursome turned to look at the small table beside Ash's bed. The incubator was shining brightly. Ash stood and walked to the table, carefully removing the glowing egg and placing it on the bed. Latias, Latios, Pikachu and Ash watched in wonder as the little egg slowly started changing shape, all the while glowing a bright white, the shine of evolution, or in this case hatching.

'_I hope the Pokemon that hatch__es isn't as big and scary as its mother,'_ Ash thought to himself. Latios and Latias once again picked up the thought and sweatdropped.

When the light dimmed a new Pokemon was now sleeping in the bed. It was a small green Pokemon that had an erect spine on top of its head, angular black streak markings below and on the upper corners of its eyes, and several black marks on the side of its small body. It had a scaled red rhombus-shaped belly of sorts. It had fingerless arms and legs with a single nailed toe and a tail somewhat resembling a pinecone in appearance.

Latias cooed in delight. "He's so cute!"

"You think all kids are cute, sis." Latios muttered offhandedly. Latias glared at him but made no comment. Latios raised an eyebrow at her expression. Latias was unable to keep a straight face for long and started giggling.

Ash had meanwhile taken out his PokeDex. He pointed it at the small Pokemon. It beeped and said, "Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokémon. Larvitar generally hatch deep within the earth and take a long time before coming to the surface."

Pikachu blinked in surprise. "Hatch deep within the earth? Who invented that crap? Didn't this one just hatch before us?"

Latias nodded. "That's a really good question. That can't be very healthy. How can an egg hatch in the coldness of the underground?" Latias wondered if such a thing even was possible. She remembered that she had hatched in a warm and cozy garden, directly into the loving arms of her slightly older brother.

Latios looked at the PokeDex. "Ask that to whoever programmed that stupid little machine."

Ash sweatdropped at his Pokemon's comments. "Let's go back to sleep, we'll show him to the Professors in the morning."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Soon the group was asleep again. What a weird interruption that had been. At least there were no more nightmares.

At least, not for the four of them…

* * *

Morning came, Pikachu had to wake up Ash to prevent the cap-wearing trainer from sleeping in again. As usual, a thunderbolt attack served as the alarm. Ash had at least learned by now not to complain.

Ash looked at the still sleeping Larvitar. He tried to pick him up, ready to head downstairs…and was bitten in the arm. Ash gave a startled cry and took a step back from Larvitar. "What was that for!" he asked, wiping the blood trail off his arm flowing from the bite.

"What happened?" Latias asked in concern.

"He bit me." Ash answered her, pointing at the Larvitar.

Latias looked at the Larvirar. "That wasn't very nice, you know." The Larvitar just looked at Latias, a completely blank look on his face. Ash felt a chill run down his spine. The Larvitar's gaze held…nothing. No emotion was shown on his face, like he didn't care for anything at all.

Latias sighed. She had an ability that allowed her to sense the emotions of others, that's why she knew which humans were good enough to trust back at Altomare. And what she sensed in the Larvitar troubled her. She sensed a lot of pain and sorrow, but the Larvitar was bottling it in, trying to hide it behind that emotionless look. "You don't have to hide your emotions, it will only destroy you from within, let it out." she said in a sweet voice, trying to comfort the Larvitar. The Larvitar grunted and turned around, clearly trying to ignore her, probably annoyed that she could read him so easily.

Latias sighed again and reached for the Larvitar, trying to help him. She hated seeing people sad, that's why, whenever someone was sad, she always did her best to cheer them up, especially if it was just a child. Latios stopped her, putting a claw on her wing. "Leave him alone for now, don't rush it, give him time," he gently whispered to her. Latias looked a little crestfallen, but nodded in understanding.

Ash looked confused. "Let it out? What are you talking about, Latias?"

"Just as I can project memories to anyone easier than Latias can, she can sense the emotions of others easier than I," Latios clarified.

"And this little one is really hurt. He tries to hide it, but bottling large amounts of pain and sorrow can be really bad for you in the long run," Latias added, a sad edge in her voice.

Ash looked sadly at the Larvitar. He sat in the bed next to him. "You know, you don't have to ignore us like this. All we want to do is help you. We'll do our best to see that you return to your mother. What do you say, Larvitar?"

Through Larvitar didn't really care about what Ash had said, the last part caught his attention. They wanted to help him find his mother. Maybe he would accept their help for now. Larvitar turned around and nodded to them. They smiled. At least it was progress, even if the little Pokemon was still as quiet as a grave.

Ash smiled and tried to pick him up to take him downstairs, but failed, mainly because Larvitar weighed about eighty pounds. Larvitar looked wary at Ash's touch. He just jumped off the bed and looked ready to walk. "That didn't go very well," Ash muttered, rubbing a sore spot on his arm. That little guy was heavy! "Let's go," he said, walking out the door and down the stairs. Pikachu and Larvitar followed. Latias and Latios turned invisible and followed as well, always keeping a few feet behind Ash.

Ash and his little group exited the Pokemon Center and began heading toward Elm's lab. Ash was going to say goodbye and then take off to wherever Elm suggested they could find Larvitar's mother. After that, he'd head to Silver Town. The Silver Conference was literally calling to him.

Once again Ash remembered that Gary was going to be there. Ash wanted to pit Latios against Gary's team; it would be interesting to see how Gary would react to a Legendary Pokemon in battle. Ash then remembered Clair's words: _'__A very honorable way to catch a Legendary, but don't think that having a Legendary makes you invincible. Legendaries can be defeated just like regular Pokemon.' _Ash should really memorize those words. Clair was a respected Gym leader and had far more years of experience than Ash. He knew she was right, Ash even knew that if he asked Brock, he'd say the same thing. He must always bear in mind not to get overconfident because of Latios. Ash looked up after thinking all this; he was already at the entrance to the Lab. From what he recalled of the little walk, every time Pikachu tried to talk to Larvitar, he didn't answer back. So far Ash hadn't heard Larvitar's voice.

He knocked two times and waited patiently. Soon, his mother opened the door. "Hello my dear!" Delia chimed, giving Ash a loving embrace. "Come in." Ash entered, Pikachu and Larvitar walking beside him. Latias and Latios entered as well just before Delia closed the door. "So where are Latias and Latios?" Delia asked, glancing around and noticing that Ash wasn't with the usual disguised Latias.

Ash chucked. "Latias is beside you and Latios is behind me."

Delia turned to look and suddenly heard a cute giggle as Latias and Latios resumed visibility. Delia patted Latias on the head. Pikachu's head hung in disappointment. Before Delia met Latias and Latios, it was always he who Delia had petted and adored. Pikachu could swear he heard a small 'I'm a lot cuter than you' in his mind. He glared at the dragons.

All the noise seemed to have attracted the attention of both professors, as they were walking down the stairs. "Hello, Ash," Professor Oak called.

"Hello!" Ash greeted back. Latias and Latios gave a coo of greeting as well. Both Professors returned it, even if they didn't know if it had been a greeting in the first place.

Professor Elm noticed the little Larvitar next to Ash. He guessed that it had hatched from the egg. "I guess the little egg hatched right?"

Ash nodded. "Yes, this little Larvitar came out, but you should leave him alone, he's not the social type."

Professor Elm looked confused. "What do you mean?" He approached the Larvitar to examine it, but the second he got too close… Larvitar screeched. It was the most powerful screech attack anyone had ever heard. Professor Elm quickly stepped back, and Larvitar stopped screeching. Everyone groaned. Probably they all had a headache now.

"Could someone pick up that phone?" Professor Oak asked, cleaning his ears.

"Oak, I don't think there is one," Delia muttered, a little dazed by the screech.

"Okay, he finally made a sound, but not the most acceptable one," Pikachu commented, rubbing his head.

"You think?" Latios asked sarcastically.

"I've heard of antisocial, but this, from just a baby?" Professor Oak said, a little saddened.

"So, where can I find his parents?" Ash asked. He wanted to help Larvitar as soon as possible.

"Well Ash, how convenient! Larvitar are Pokemon native to Mount Silver and the surrounding areas." Professor Elm announced.

"That's right; you are heading to Silver Town anyway to participate in the conference, so you can search for Larvitar's parents while you prepare for the conference," Professor Oak suggested.

Ash kneeled next to Larvitar. "See, we'll find your mom soon." Larvitar turned to look at him but made no comment or even a gesture.

"At least he didn't screech." Delia said in relief. She had expected Larvitar to screech when Ash got close to him. "Well, I made breakfast! Let's eat!"

Ash walked to the back garden to release his Pokemon so they could eat too. However…

"Ash!" Bayleef cooed, body slamming Ash affectionately.

After some effort Ash managed to pry Bayleef off him. "I thought we worked that whole body slam thing out long ago!"

Bayleef grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, couldn't resist the chance."

Professor Elm served all the Pokemon a good meal before going inside to eat. Latias and Latios had managed to stay with the humans and were lucky enough to get a bite of Delia's cooking. Delia's cooking was by far the best they had ever eaten. Brock's cooking looked like a novice's in comparison. To say Latias and Latios were completely delighted was an understatement. After eating and taking a small rest and returning all Pokemon to their Pokeballs--except Latios and Pikachu--Ash got ready to head for Mt. Silver. "So, when are you guys departing for Silver Town?" Ash asked.

"We'll take our time. We'll make sure to be there by the Final rounds, or the second phase," Professor Oak told Ash.

"Why not be there from the start?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Because the first rounds are boring. They have way too many battlers, so most of them are really incompetent or too inexperienced. We watch on television as these trainers are eliminated so that we can go and see the real battles up close in the Conference during the second phrase." Professor Oak said off-handedly.

"Besides, the only two trainers we are really interested in watching are you and Gary, and I'm sure both of you can pass the preliminaries with ease," Delia added.

Ash and Pikachu sweatdropped. "Sounds logical," Pikachu admitted.

"So where has Gary been?" Ash asked.

"Gary gathered all eight badges one and a half months ago. He's been taking intensive training in Mt. Silver since then. He will not accept another defeat like the one in the Indigo League. All his Pokemon have gotten a lot stronger," Professor Oak informed Ash.

Ash and Pikachu paled. _'Oh crap. I'm busted,'_ Ash thought.

"And something tells me you two are going to fight," Delia added.

"That will be a truly epic match. I also can't wait to see Latios in battle, it is said that watching a Legendary Pokemon fight is awe-inspiring." Professor Elm gushed.

'_Tell me abo__ut it, I've lost count of how many times I'm almost gotten killed because of battling Legendaries,'_ Ash thought. Something occurred to him. "You haven't told Gary about Latios, right?" Right now, Latios was Ash's best hope of winning if he was matched with Gary, unless he called in more heavy artillery with Charizard.

"No Ash, I want a fair battle between the two of you. I'm not going to give you a disadvantage by divulging what I guess is your trump card for the conference," Professor Oak reassured Ash.

Ash sighed in relief. "I'm still gonna train hard the few days I have left. I'm gonna win the conference! Right?" Ash asked enthusiastically, direction the question to Latios and Pikachu, two of his strongest fighters. Both nodded, willing to give Ash their full support. Latias nodded as well, even if all she could do was keep cheering them on.

Professor Oak smiled. "That's the spirit."

"I'd better get started, then," Ash said, turning to leave, only to notice someone was missing. "Where's Larvitar?" Everyone glanced around, noticing that the little Pokemon was indeed nowhere to be seen. "Latias, can you sense where he is?" Ash asked.

Latias shook her head. "No, since I haven't gotten to know and befriend him, I can't sense him easily."

"What did she say?" Delia asked.

"She says she can't sense him, we'll have to look for him. Scatter," Ash said. Everyone turned and began looking around the lab.

Every passing minute made Ash more and more worried, where could that little Larvitar have gone? Since he hadn't heard a screech, it meant that nobody had found him yet. Currently Ash was looking through the back gardens of the Lab on his own. All three of the Pokemon that usually stayed out with him had taken different paths in searching for Larvitar. Professor Elm's back garden was smaller than Oak's, but it still had different habitats.

Ash paused when he saw a small lake, most likely intended for water Pokemon. He walked over to it and was surprised to find Larvitar at the edge, looking at his reflection in the water. Ash smiled. "There you are," he said softly as he approached Larvitar and sat next to him.

Larvitar made no move to acknowledge Ash's presence. Ash sighed and gently scratched Larvitar on the head. Finally Larvitar turned to him, so Ash knew he had his attention. "You know, you shouldn't push us away from you like this. I know you must feel bad, but at least accept us as your friends. We only want to help you," Ash said gently, still scratching Larvitar's head tenderly. "You hurt Latias' feelings when you rejected her help. All she wanted was to be your friend. She actually finds you kind of adorable." Larvitar gave Ash a startled look, surprise evident in his eyes, even if only for a moment.

"I understand the pain you're going through, the sorrow of never knowing a parent. I never knew my father either." Ash paused. "Latias and Latios understand this too, they also never knew their parents. By the time Latios hatched, his father had already died saving a city, so Latios was forced to mature faster to give Latias a parental figure, even if Latios is only a few days older than her," Ash continued. Latios and Latias had refused to tell Ash their true age, but they had told him that Latios was a few days older. When it came to mental age, however, Latios was far more mature and knowledgeable than Latias. Larvitar gave Ash a completely surprised look, clear disbelief in his eyes.

Larvitar now regretted ignoring Latias like that that morning a little. "We'll help you find your mother. Soon we'll return you to her, but at least try and talk to us until then, alright?" Larvitar looked down a little, pondering this. Ash's words still lingered in his mind. The fact that he and the two dragons knew what he felt like comforted him a little. Maybe he could trust them, but only them, everyone else was untrustworthy. "So, what do you say Larvitar?" Ash asked, hoping that maybe the little Larvitar would at least accept them for now.

Larvitar turned to Ash and nodded, a small smile on his lips. Ash beamed in joy and hugged him. He would have picked him up and hugged him like a baby, but Ash remembered Larvitar weighed almost eighty pounds. "Let's go back, everyone must be worried about us," Ash said, glancing back in the direction of the Lab.

"Okay," Larvitar said in a quiet tone. Ash looked at him in surprise but smiled. Larvitar still looked apathetic to everything around him, but at least he spoke. That was a start.

Ash started walking towards the Lab, with Larvitar following him. "That reminds me, you're apologizing to Latias." Larvitar froze for a second, but nodded. He understood that he at least had to be nice to them because they were helping him.

As they walked, unknown to Ash, a pair of eyes was watching him all the while. Latias smiled. She had found Ash and Larvitar just as Ash took a seat at the edge of the lake. She was glad that Larvitar was opening up a little and that she was at least getting an apology, but she was surprised that Ash had done so well in talking to Larvitar. She was right in leaving Altomare to follow Ash, he was a remarkable little human. She quickly flew to the Lab, wanting to get there before Ash and Larvitar, which wasn't really difficult as she could fly very fast.

* * *

After everyone had reunited and seen that Larvitar was fine, Ash said his goodbyes and prepared to head to Mt. Silver to fight in the Silver Conference.

Ash exited the Lab and walked to the town outskirts, not wanting all of New Bark Town to see him flying off on Latios. He had no problem doing that in Blackthorn because that city was quite used to majestic dragons flying all over the place. Once he was on the road, Latios and Latias resumed visibility, having turned invisible when they had left the lab. "Before we depart, you have something to say, right Larvitar?" Ash stated rather than asked, looking down at the small Rock and Ground Type.

Larvitar looked down a little, maybe ashamed. He turned and walked until he was just in front of Latias. Larvitar had to look up just to see Latias' face. She took the cue and floated a little closer to the ground. Larvitar sighed and spoke in a quiet and shy voice, "I'm sorry for ignoring you earlier this morning. I just thought that I couldn't trust any of you."

Latias smiled sweetly and gave Larvitar a hug. "Don't worry, its okay, I forgive you."

Larvitar felt oddly comforted. For a moment Larvitar wondered if he related Latias' hug to the loving embrace of his own lost mother. Latias sensed that Larvitar's sorrow had diminished a little, but it was still vast. She knew emotional wounds like this healed slowly. Maybe later she would talk to Larvitar so he can fully release his pain.

"Finally, he talks." Latios whispered to Pikachu, who nodded in agreement. Latias rolled her eyes. Silly big brothers…

That issue finally worked out, Latios lowered to the ground to allow Ash to climb on. Latias did the same for Pikachu and Larvitar. Soon, the group was flying to Silver Town high above the clouds, ready for the Silver Conference and to search for Larvitar's mother.

* * *

So, the Journey continues. Will Larvitar fully open up to the world? Who knows!

Hope you all like this chapter! Review please!


	9. Silver Tragedy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy"_

A/N: Chapter 9! Hope you all like it!

* * *

"Wow!" Latias said in awe as she and Latios approached Silver Town. They were flying high above the clouds, barely visible from the ground.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, peeking over Latios' neck as he saw Silver Town in the distance. The Town was located between two lakes. Directly in the space between the lakes was a colossal stadium with a very modern design. Surrounding the stadium were a series of structures arranged in a circle. Half of them were smaller battlefields and the other half were stands and small buildings, most likely for souvenirs and stores. Across the stadium's entrance was a high stone arch, giving the gateway to Silver Town a nice touch.

On the right side of town, almost touching the lake was a big five-story L-shaped building. This was the hotel that would house all the trainers participating in the conference and their relatives. Directly behind the stadium after following a path was an enormous Pokemon Center, jumbo-sized to tend to all the pokemon participating in the tournament. Surrounding the Pokemon center were several small fields for training and sparring. Silver Town was also very nature-friendly, aside from the stadium the entire town was covered trees and vegetation, numerous building seeming to actually sprout from the landscape. Overall, Silver Town was impressive to look at from above, and Latios and Latias slowed down a little to admire the city.

"Looks better up close than on television," Latios commented, gesturing at the city.

"You've seen it on television? When?" Ash asked, wondering how Latios could have seen any competitions if he lived in the secret garden.

"Well, when the tournaments start, sometimes Latias and I go to Lorenzo's house to watch them. They're a good to pass the time," Latios answered. "For instance, I remember when we watched the last Silver Conference."

Latias smiled, also recalling how they had watched the competitions back in Altomare with Bianca and Lorenzo. "And I'm sure that back then, the thought that you were going to participate in this year's tournament never crossed your mind." She giggled.

Latios smiled at her. "I guess. I would have never thought of it. Scratch that, I never even expected to leave Altomare with a trainer in the first place."

"Hey, I fought in the past Indigo League. Did you see me?" Ash asked.

Latias flew a little closer to Latios. By now they were passing Silver Town, their real destination for now was the distant Mt. Silver, or more specifically, the Pokemon Reserve on Mt. Silver. "Well," Latias started. "We watched the last year's Indigo League, and I think I remember you, Ash, but I didn't really pay attention to you since I never expected that I'd meet you. I remember you losing to a Trainer that looked like you, though." She and Latios started laughing.

Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances. "What's so funny?" Pikachu demanded. Larvitar looked at them quizzically, not understanding their unique way of getting along with each other.

Finally Latios regained his breath enough to speak. "I remember you lost because a Charizard decided to play lazy." Latios resumed laughing and Latias laughed even harder.

Ash and Pikachu flushed in embarrassment. "Why does everyone always remember that instead of any of my victories?" Ash mumbled in annoyance.

"For once I agree with him," Pikachu mused. He had worked very hard in that battle, and the Indigo League overall.

"You have to agree, that was really funny," Latias commented, suppressing another fit of laugher. Ash sulked on Latios' back.

"Look, that's the Pokemon Reserve," Latios announced as he started descending towards a small building that was in the middle of a clearing in the forests surrounding Mt. Silver, a towering silver-hued mountain that reached for the heavens. Both eon dragons stopped in front of the building and lowered themselves to allow Ash, Pikachu and Larvitar to get off their backs.

Ash stumbled a little, still not used to flying on Latios for long periods of time. "Latios, what time is it?" Ash asked, remembering that he had departed early from New Bark Town.

Latios looked up at the sun. "About four o'clock."

"Guess we did fly almost all day," Ash muttered. "Do you think that Misty and Brock have already reached Silver Town?"

"Maybe, it isn't really that far from Blackthorn to here," Latias answered, recalling the map Brock had shown them when giving directions to Latios.

"Latios, would you mind going back to Silver Town to find them? In the meantime, Latias and I will see with whoever is in charge here about finding Larvitar's mother," Ash said. Larvitar perked up a little at the comment about finding his mother.

"Sure Ash," Latios answered, readying himself to speed over to Silver Town.

"Take care, Bro!" Latias said, grinning joyously. Latios nodded and took off for Silver Town, quickly disappearing as he turned invisible.

"Okay, let's go," Ash announced, walking over to Pokemon Reserve. Ash knocked a few times on the door. It opened and a woman in her mid-twenties appeared. She had dark reddish-brown hair with a green headband and wore an orange Jacket with the symbol of a Ranger on it. She smiled. "Hello trainer, I'm Ranger Mason, the protector of this Pokemon Preserve." One of her eyebrows rose at the sight of Latias. "That's a nice Pokemon," she idly commented. Latias answered with a shy coo.

Ash smiled. "Thanks, I guess."

"You must be Ash, right?" Ranger Mason asked. Professor Elm had foretold her of Ash's arrival after he had left the lab in New Bark Town. Ash nodded. She glanced down. "And this must be the Larvitar," she crouched to properly greet Larvitar…and he screeched again.

Ranger Mason was thrown back a few feet and Ash and his little group held their heads in pain. Great, looks like professor Elm had forgotten to warn her about that. "What was that for?" The Ranger asked, shocked at Larvitar's reaction.

"He doesn't like strangers all that much," Ash answered, looking a little sadly at Larvitar.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Mason said as she stumbled to get up. That was one powerful screech!

"So, where can I find his mother? She's a Tyranitar," Ash asked.

"Obviously she _must_ be a Tyranitar," Pikachu muttered sarcastically. Latias giggled. Larvitar glared at them.

"That's going to be a tough job, there are 12 confirmed Tyranitars in Mt. Silver," Ranger Mason said grimly.

"That's going to be a problem. At least we can hope that Larvitar recognizes her," Ash said, glancing hopefully at Larvitar.

Larvitar looked down sadly. Latias turned to Ash. "Ash, even though he longs to see his mother, he has never seen her physically, so he can't tell the difference. His bond to her seems to be a more spiritual one. However, if I remember correctly, in your dream his mother received a scar on her chest. That means we have to look for a Tyranitar with a slash-shaped scar on her chest," Latias said, reminding Ash of his vision.

'_She's right. Now that she mentions it, his mother does have a scar,' _Ash thought to himself. "You're right, thanks a lot Latias." he said gratefully, gently patting Latias on the head. She cooed in delight. Larvitar glanced at Latias, wondering how she knew that so easily.

Ranger Mason looked confused. "You understood her? All I heard were squeals."

"That's another story," Ash said offhandedly. "So, where can I find Tyranitars?"

"That's a bit of a problem," Ranger Mason muttered. "There's a group of Pokemon Poachers roaming the area. They were the ones who kidnapped Larvitar's egg in the first place. They lost the egg to Officer Jenny, but I know nothing of the mother's whereabouts."

Everyone's eyes widened in alarm. Larvitar looked utterly crushed and like he was about to cry, but sniffed back the tears. Latias hovered down to him and embraced him, sensing how his sorrow had skyrocketed. "Don't feel bad," Latias cooed gently, patting Larvitar on the back. "She said she didn't know, but she might still be free, and if she is we'll find her. I promise."

"Sorry," Ranger Mason apologized quickly. She hadn't expected her warning to affect Larvitar so severely. "Anyway, in my opinion the best thing you can do is find the poachers and get them to tell you if they have or not the mother Tyranitar. So far, I've tried to keep track of them but they always seem to elude me."

Ash nodded. "We'll help you find the poachers. We'll make them pay for what they've done." Latias finally parted from Larvitar and nodded, a determined look on her features. Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, his cheeks releasing a few sparks. Larvitar looked at them and hid a small faint smile. A part of him was grateful that he had friends that were so willing to help him. He was starting to understand the value of friendship, but he still had a long way to go.

"The poachers operate more at early morning and mid-day. Since it's already afternoon, they're likely at their hideout somewhere on Mt. Silver. I suggest you go back to Silver Town and return here early so that we can start hunting them down," Ranger Mason suggested, knowing that those coward poachers were already hidden somewhere on Mt. Silver.

Ash nodded. "Alright, we'll return in the morning."

With that said, the group started for Silver Town. Ash regretted sending Latios ahead, he was great for giving small rides to anywhere. The walk back to Silver Town was rather uneventful. Ash's thoughts were mostly around Larvitar and Tyranitar, a family he hoped to reunite soon. He looked up and noticed that the sky was getting slightly darker, meaning that they had walked for quite a while. Thankfully they were at the entrance to Silver Town. Latias turned invisible, not wanting to draw attention. The town was bursting with life, most likely because the preparations for the Silver Conference were starting.

"Latias," Ash whispered softly.

"_Yes, what's the matter Ash?"_ she responded telepathically.

"_Could you please try to __contact Latios and ask him where he is?" _Ash thought.

Latias nodded, though Ash couldn't see it. _"Sure, give me a minute." _She began searching for her brother's mind. As siblings it was easy for them to communicate telepathically then it was for humans. After a few seconds of searching, she found him. _"Brother!" _She mentally cooed.

"_Hi sis! I found Brock and Misty. We're currently in the Trainer's hotel, room number 125,"_ Latios informed his sister psychically. _"See you here. Also, tell Ash to register the room we're at, only qualified trainers are allowed to get rooms here."_

"_Then h__ow did you enter in the first place?" _Latias asked in puzzlement. Ash was the only one that had registration for the Silver Conference.

"_Brock flirted with the receptionist and I stole a key while she was distracted,"_ Latios answered. Latias sweatdropped and added another prank to her to-do list. She beamed a mental nod to her brother and telepathically told their location to Ash. They started heading for the hotel.

* * *

"_So that's pretty much it,"_ Latios finished. He had spent the past little while telling Misty and Brock what had happened during their separation.

"Interesting," Brock muttered, thinking about the Larvitar's condition. Latios had strictly warned them not to get near that kid unless they wanted to get a headache and lose hearing for a while.

A knock on the door got their attention. Brock started for it, but Latios beat him to it and opened the door telekinetically. Latias appeared in the open doorway and tackled Latios playfully. He smiled and returned the hug.

"Hey, Ash!" Misty said, happy to see her friend as he and Pikachu entered the room.

"Hey Brock, Misty, Latios. I'm glad you guys all got here in one piece," Ash said.

"What did the manager of the Pokemon Preserve say?" Brock asked, as Ash took a seat across the table from him. Their suite was quite large. It had two double-beds, a computer and a kitchen and bathroom.

"Did Latios tell you what we've done recently?" Ash asked. Brock and Misty nodded. "Long story short, we have to hunt down the poachers to find out if they have Larvitar's mother. Let's hope they haven't done anything to her," Larvitar cast a small downwards look at the ground. Pikachu walked over to him and comforted the little guy.

Misty and Brock nodded gravely. Not wanting to make the mood any sadder, Brock decided to change the topic. "So, have you thought through your overall strategy for the Conference?" Seeing Ash's completely blank look, Brock got his answer. He sighed. "Listen Ash, we know that Gary had gotten a lot stronger, Latios told us so, so you need to be extra careful in how you deal with him at the Conference. If you want to defeat Gary successfully, he must not find out about Latios under any circumstances." He had been talking this over with Misty on the way to Silver Town. Both former Gym leaders were sure that Ash wouldn't plan ahead. Right now Brock was happy that Ash was at least listening to him. Latios and Pikachu were also paying attention.

"Listen, you shouldn't use Latios in any match except the final rounds. Only use Latios if that's your last resort. Gary must be taken by surprise when Latios faces him," Misty added.

"Also, your Pokemon need to get stronger, especially Latios. He may be a Legendary Pokemon but he still isn't on a fully competitive level, so you can't rely on Latios to knock out all of Gary's team. Remember this Ash, Gary _isn't _the strongest trainer out there, and you might be matched up against someone stronger. All the more reason to give your team heavy training," Brock lectured.

"There are twelve days left before the conference starts. That should be enough time to raise your Pokemon a few levels and help them learn new attacks," Misty continued. "Brock and I will help you there."

Ash, Pikachu and Latios nodded, all of them agreeing with the former Gym Leader's plan. "I have a question," Ash spoke up. At Brock's nod, Ash continued. "If I remember you can see other trainer's Pokemon using the computer. How do we now Gary won't look into my records and find Latios?"

Brock chucked. "That's an easy one. Gary will be confident that you won't pose much of a problem to him so he won't bother to look. If some trainer did look, they would probably not recognize Latios."

"Ah, that reminds me," Misty spoke up. "Brock and I called Liza and Officer Jenny so that they could bring Squirtle and Charizard when the Silver Conference second round starts."

Ash grinned eagerly. "Thanks, guys! They'll be a big help."

"Misty and I came up with the best move choices for your Pokemon to learn. We'll start helping you train them once you return Larvitar to his mother," Brock announced. Ash nodded.

"For now let's get some sleep. Early tomorrow we'll go to Mt. Silver to help find the poachers," Misty muttered, holding back a yawn.

With that the group went to sleep, waiting for the next day to arrive. For one eager trainer, it was one day less until the beginning of the Silver Conference.

* * *

After a rather rude awakening for Ash courtesy of his personal alarm clock Pikachu, the group set off for the forests of Mt. Silver. Latios had to guide the group to the Pokemon Reserve building since Ash had forgotten the way, something that really didn't surprise anyone.

Once they got there, Ash knocked on the door. "Hello!"

Soon Ranger Mason appeared. "Good, you're here." She came out and closed the door, a Croconaw walking behind her. "Alright, we'll divide and search the mountain separately to cover more ground. Here is a picture of the machine the poachers operate," She handed them each a photo of the giant robot. It looked very intimidating. "Be careful, it's powerful," she warned them.

"We have experience dealing with giant robots," Misty said flatly. Brock and Ash nodded.

"If anyone finds the poachers, have a Pokemon shoot an attack into the sky to signal the others," Ranger Mason advised. "Good luck." With that she turned and began heading into the forest.

"Let's go," Ash said, turning around and walking in a different direction. Latios, Latias, Pikachu and Larvitar followed him. Misty and Brock turned around and headed a different way. Soon everyone had scattered in different directions.

Once Ash had lost sight of his friends he turned to Latias and Latios. "Both of you fly over the forest and look for the machine. Use your invisibility so that the poachers can't see you. If you find them, don't fight, return and guide me to them, all right?" Latias and Latios nodded, both then took off, flying upward and becoming invisible. "Okay, let's keep searching," Ash said to Pikachu and Larvitar. Both nodded and kept walking behind him.

"Hey, Ash?" Larvitar asked quietly after a few minutes of walking.

"Yes, what's the matter Larvitar?" Ash replied kindly.

"If we find the ones that separated me from my mother, will we be able to beat them? They defeated my mom after all," Larvitar muttered sadly.

Ash smiled. "Of course we will! We'll teach them a lesson for messing with you, right buddy?"

Pikachu nodded. "Yeah, besides, we've dealt with a lot of robots before, what's one more?" Larvitar nodded, giving a faint smile. Ash smiled back.

After what seemed like an eternity of looking around the forest, Ash heard the pained cry of a Pokemon. It sounded like it was in trouble. "Let's hurry!" Ash shouted. He began running in the direction the scream had came from.

He burst into a clearing and saw an injured Donphan running away from a huge machine. It was dark purple in color with a tank-like lower body and a huge humanoid upper form. Two long snake-like arms stretched from either side of the robot, and three holes were present in the midsection. A small frontal window comprised the main windshield. An orange rubber prison was fired from one of the holes in the machine's chest, hurtling towards the wounded Donphan.

"Pikachu, stop that thing with Thunderbolt. Also, shoot one of the bolts skywards!" Ash shouted. Pikachu complied without question, running a few meters before firing a powerful bolt at the orange prison. Through the attack didn't affect the cocoon because it was made from what appeared to be special rubber, it had enough force behind it to knock it off-track, causing it to miss the Donphan and allow it to escape to safely in the forest. Pikachu fired another bolt into the sky, the signal to tell everyone where they were.

Ash looked down and noticed that Larvitar had a look of fear and anger on his face, and seemed ready to charge at the machine at any second. "Don't worry Larvitar, we'll handle this together, don't fight them alone," Ash advised. Larvitar nodded and walked forward until he was besides Pikachu, ready to fight.

The machine turned to them, a hatch opening on the top and three figures wearing gray and black full-body spandex suits emerging from within. The second Larvitar saw them, he felt a massive rage burning within him, but he made no move, reminding himself that they had to find his mother first.

Ash clenched his hand into a fist angrily. "You!" he accused, pointing at the men. "You're the Pokemon Poachers!"

They smirked. "Of course we are! We are the Pokemon Poacher Brothers! I'm the leader. Braggo is the name," the one in the center shouted arrogantly. He was the tallest and had a blue beret.

"And I'm Chico, the inventor specialist!" The shortest and skinniest one said. He had a weird vaguely bowl-shaped haircut and had what appeared to be two whisker marks on each cheek.

"And I'm Blurt!" the biggest one called. He looked very strong and had a big red nose.

"Hey boys, look at that, it's a Larvitar! Just what we needed," Braggo remarked, looking down at the Larvitar.

Ash growled. "You won't get him! Now what did you do to his mother!"

The Poacher brother's looked confused. "His mother? Then that must mean he's the egg that Officer Jenny took from us!" Chico deducted.

Braggo smirked. "If you were wondering, we captured the mother and sold her for a big load of cash!" They laughed in unison

Ash froze. "You… WHAT!" Ash simply couldn't believe it. They had simply sold her like she was some kind of object?

Larvitar looked really shaken. A lone tear fell from his eyes. "And that kid's next!" Braggo shouted as he pressed a button on a remote control. The machine fired another orange rubber prison at Larvitar, who was too deep in despair to get out of the way. Thankfully, Ash noticed something better.

"Psychic!" Ash shouted. The entire prison was torn to shreds by an unseen force rather violently.

The poacher brothers paled. "What happened to the capture prison!" Chico asked in astonishment.

"DragonBreath!" Ash called.

The Pokemon poacher brothers frantically looked around when suddenly a powerful blast of white flames appeared from the sky just above them. They quickly retreated back to the interior of the machine and accelerated, getting the machine out of the way of the fires. Latios and Latias quickly flew down to Ash and resumed visibility, floating directly in front of Ash and Larvitar protectively. Both dragons sported very angry looks on their faces. They had heard the poachers claim to have sold Larvitar's mother.

"How dare they, to separate a mother and her child in such a cruel way…I'm going to make them pay dearly!" Latios muttered angrily. Ash gulped. He had never heard or seen Latios this angry. He knew from experience that an angry Legendary Pokemon was a really frightening sight. He also knew that Legendary Pokemon could easily kill, heck, he had been killed by a Legendary Pokemon in the past once. He just hoped that Latios wouldn't go that far, even if he also thought negatively of the poachers.

"You little runt!" Braggo's roared from the machine. The robot started accelerating towards them.

"Thunder!" Ash shouted. Pikachu ran forward and released a tremendous amount of electricity upwards, arcing through the air and impacting against the machine. Rather than exploding, however, the machine recovered and stood its ground. "It survived Pikachu's Thunder? Maybe it's really well-made…or Team Rocket's machines are just a lame pile of junk," Ash muttered.

"I think its Team Rocket's machines that are junk," Pikachu agreed.

Ash grabbed three Pokeballs. "Totodile, Phanpy and Cyndaquil, come on out!" Ash released his Pokemon. "Larvitar and Latias, you two come here, the rest of you get ready to fight the machine! Latias, you stay beside me, if that machine fires something at any of us, use Psychic to protect us," Ash said as Latias floated beside him. She nodded and readied herself.

"You think those lame Pokemon can stop us!" Braggo shouted. The machine started charging at them, but Ash was ready.

"Cyndaquil, use flamethrower! Latios, boost that flamethrower with DragonBreath, and Latias, use Psychic to make the attack even stronger!" Ash ordered quickly. Cyndaquil's back flames burst to life as he spat a large stream of fire. Latios floated beside him and opened his mouth, spewing a large white flame directly at the flamethrower, combining both attacks. Latias' eyes glowed a bright blue as she pushed the combined attacks at the machine with Psychic.

Seeing that they couldn't get out of the way, Braggo accelerated faster, hoping to tear the attack apart. The machine collided against the flames produced by Ash's Pokemon. It was actually stopped in its tracks as the fire washed over it. When the flames died down, the machine was relatively unscratched, only a bit reddened from the intensity of the attack.

"See, your efforts are useless! I designed the machine to be indestructible!" Chico bragged over the speakers. The machine fired another three orange rubber prisons, but they were torn apart easily by Latias' psychic attack. Braggo growled. They were shaking off their attacks too easily.

"Who did you sell Tyranitar to!" Ash asked angrily. Larvitar's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that, maybe they could also recover his mother! Larvitar gave Ash an admiring look.

"Sorry, we never reveal information on our clients!" Blurt shouted.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way then," Latios muttered, maybe a bit too eagerly.

"Try this!" Braggo shouted as the machine extended one of its arms forward and fired a missile. Ash didn't move, he knew that Latias would tear the missile apart before it reached them. That's exactly what she did, using a powerful Psychic attack the missile exploded in mid-air. Latios used a Psychic attack of his own to keep the explosion away from them.

"Totodile, use water gun!" Ash commanded. The little blue pokemon complied and fired a stream of water at the machine, soaking it completely. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" This time, Pikachu fired a powerful lighting bolt at the machine. With the addition of the water the electrical shock was even stronger than before, but even so, the machine refused to go down. Ash growled. This machine was far better than Team Rocket's usual worthless robots.

Braggo laughed. The Machine opened a small hatch on its side and fired a large net at them. "Cyndaquil, burn that net with Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. The little Pokemon's back fire erupted and a large torrent of flames shot toward the net, reducing it to cinders in seconds.

"This is not over!" Braggo shouted, accelerating the machine at them.

"Totodile, aim Water Gun at the ground!" Ash shouted. Tododile fired a powerful water torrent at the ground where the machine would be in a few seconds. "Phanpy, use Earthquake. Latias and Latios, lift us with Psychic so the Earthquake doesn't hurt us!"

"Alright daddy!" Phanpy squealed happily before jumping as high as he could.

Latios and Latias' eyes brightened with white light as Ash, Pikachu, Totodile, Cyndaquil and Larvitar were lifted a few inches off the ground. Not a second later, Phanpy slammed to the ground hard, sending a powerful tremor across the clearing. The machine was passing the spot Totodile had soaked just as the tremor reached it. The ground, soaked and weakened by the earthquake, collapsed under the weight of the machine, causing it to sink a few meters into the ground. "What the! Braggo shouted, looking around and noting that they seemed closer to the ground. He tried to accelerate forward, but the machine was trapped in the pitfall created by Totodile and Phanpy.

"Latios, finish that thing off with a Luster Purge!" Ash shouted, hoping that Latios' strongest attack would be capable of destroying that machine.

Latios' body started shining brightly as he readied his Luster Purge. He channeled as much power onto it as he could, creating a sphere just as big as the one he and Latias had created back in Altomare to stop the Tsunami. He fired it directly at the machine. The Poacher's eyes widened in dread. "What the!" Blurt cried, looking at the colossal attack heading at them.

"Chico, raise the shields!" Braggo ordered frantically.

Chico quickly pushed a few buttons and an energy shield formed around the machine to protect them from Latios' colossal attack. The Luster Purge impacted the shield, pushing against it and causing a few cracks and ripples to run across it. Latios smirked proudly. _'You can't compare the power of a lousy machine to the power of a Legendary Pokemon!'_

"The shield is cracking!" Chico shouted in astonishment. "Raising heavy internal steel reinforcements!" He pressed a few switches. Heavy layers of steel covered the windshield and most of the cabin.

Soon after that, the shield gave in to the power of Latios' Luster Purge, The Attack struck the machine, creating a terrible explosion. "Everyone return!" Ash shouted, recalling Cyndaquil, Totodile and Phanpy to their Pokeballs. Latios and Latias used a Psychic attack to keep the Luster Purge from harming Ash, Larvitar and Pikachu. The Blast died down a few seconds later, leaving a large crater that covered a good portion of the clearing, Ash stood barely at the border, and he gulped at what Latios had done. He noticed the remains of the machine lying in a heap in the center of the crater. Ash jumped down and walked towards it, followed by his Pokemon.

Ash reached the machine, or more like what remained of it. He could barely make out its original shape in the rubble. Metal was twisted in odd directions and beyond recognition. The whole structure of the machine was torn apart. "I think you overdid it Latios," Ash commented, a hint of fear in his voice.

Latios huffed. "Lowlifes like them deserve worse."

Ash noticed that a metal piece began moving. It toppled over as Blurt pushed it away, Braggo and Chico emerging as well. All three were covered in large burns and cuts, parts of their outfits were torn apart. The steel reinforcement they had applied before Latios' attack struck were probably the only reason they were alive now. Latios growled. "Guess I'll have to finish this." He flew a few inches forward, but Ash stopped him.

"Wait Latios, it's more important to figure out who they sold Tyranitar to," Ash said quickly. Latios nodded and stopped. Ash walked forward until he was a few feet from the injured poachers. "Okay, what did you do with Tyranitar!"

Braggo laughed weakly. "We won't tell you."

Ash growled. "Tell me NOW."

Braggo smirked. "We never reveal information. Besides, even if we told you, we're still going to jail. Our fate won't change by telling you or not."

Latios grew angry. "Tell them that if they don't tell us, I'll kill them."

Ash gulped and took a step away from Latios. "Latios! That's too much!"

"Are you saying that you prefer their lives over Larvitar's? Or his mother's?" Latios countered. He honestly had no trouble with killing them. To him they were trash that needed to be removed from the world. Besides, he was nearly killed by humans similar to these ones in Altomare. He would have died had Latias and Ash not saved him.

"That's not the point!" Ash shouted back.

Latios sighed. "Alright Ash, if you're so scared of taking other's lives, I understand, but sometimes it's better to simply remove the problem. Humans like them are the reason most Legendaries avoid human contact in general." Ash frowned.

Latias watched the exchange quietly. She was neutral in this. She understood the reason Latios was acting like this, in Altomare he wasn't really one to make contact with humans, barely even opening up to Bianca and Lorenzo. After Annie and Oakley's attack, his opinion on humans had dampened a lot. Thankfully, Ash had befriended him and reminded him there were still good humans. She was also against harming humans, believing sometimes that even the most evil of people could change, but like Latios had said, sometimes removing them was for the best. For humans like these poachers, who committed a sin as horrible as separating a mother and child for simple profit, she couldn't care less what happened to them, but she respected Ash's hesitation to order Latios to kill them. He was still too young and innocent to think about things like this in depth. Besides, Pokemon thought differently than humans.

Larvitar was silently wishing for Latios to kill them, after they found out where his mother was of course. Pikachu wasn't sure what to think.

"Tell them that if they don't spill it, I'll extract the information myself. The process won't kill them, but it'll leave them with some horrible mental scars. If I go through it, they'll be lucky if they can ever move again." Latios told Ash, motioning to the bewildered poachers.

Ash gulped. "Latios is a powerful Psychic. If you don't tell us who you sold Tyranitar to, he'll extract the information himself. It won't be pretty."

"Ha! Some lousy psychic won't be enough to crack us!" Braggo bragged. Chico and Blurt nodded.

Ash sighed. It looked like there really was no other option. "Go ahead, Latios."

Latios smirked as his eyes glowed brightly. The Pokemon Poacher Brothers braced themselves, not really expecting much, but were surprised when a colossal presence filled their minds, easily tearing their psyches apart as Latios entered their heads. They clutched their heads as a searing pain coursed through them. They tried to scream but they couldn't produce a sound, they just wailed miserably. When Latios had read Ash's mind prior to Larvitar's hatching, he had done it gently and with Ash's consent. But now, not only were these foolish poachers posing resistance, Latios didn't really care what happened to them. He tore their minds apart to find the information he wanted.

A few seconds later Latios finished, pulling back from the minds of the three poachers. They slumped and fell over unconscious. Ash gulped at what Latios had done. "So, where's my mother?" Larvitar asked.

"Apparently the poachers sold her to another guy named Rico. He operates mostly in the Hoenn Region. They sold her five days ago, and this Rico is going to go to Kanto from here to do a few 'errands' and then head back to Hoenn," Latios summarized.

"So are we going to go after this guy?" Larvitar asked hopefully.

Latios shook his head. "He obtained your mother five days ago. By now he could be anywhere between Kanto and Johto, it'd be impossible to find him."

Larvitar visibly slumped. He sniffed a little, fighting back tears. Latias flew down and hugged him gently, rubbing his back slowly to comfort him. "We didn't say we would abandon hope. By the time Ash finishes the Silver Conference Rico should be on his way to Hoenn. We'll go there, hunt him down, and rescue your mother, I promise." Latias said kindly.

A few tears escaped Larvitar's eyes. "Thank you," he said quietly between small sobs.

Ash smiled sympathetically and walked to them, crouching down and scratching Larvitar gently on the head. "Yeah, we'll get your mother back, you'll see." Larvitar nodded as Latias broke the hug. Ash turned to Latios. "What does this Rico guy look like?"

"Like this." Latios used his memory projecting ability to form an image of Rico in their minds. He was a muscular man with bright green hair and a red jacket. A Fearow flew beside him.

"Great, I hate Fearows," Ash muttered.

"Me too," Pikachu groaned.

"So Latios, what will become of these three?" Ash asked, motioning towards the Poachers.

"Judging by the mental damage they suffered because of my intrusion, I'd say they'll remain comatose for a very long time, and if they wake up, they will never move again. Serves them right, they'll never harm anyone again," Latios answered him. Ash cringed a little.

"Ash!" The voice of Brock sounded in the distance. Ash looked to the edge of the crater and saw Brock, Misty, Ranger Mason and surprisingly Officer Jenny. They must have called her to help them apprehend the poachers.

"About time you guy got here!" Ash shouted back. _'What will I tell them if they ask me what happened to the poachers? I can't simply say that Latios tore their minds apart and that they will barely live, and If they do they will never move again due to brain damage.'_

"_Just tell them that the explosion knocked them out and that they told us who they sold her to before destroying their machine," _Latias suggested helpfully.

It took them a few minutes to get down to Ash and his Pokemon. "What happened here?" asked a bewildered Misty, motioning to the crater and the destroyed machine.

"We confronted the poachers but their robot didn't go down quietly. Latios destroyed it though," Ash informed them.

Ranger Mason walked to the unconscious and barely alive poachers. "What happened to them?" she asked.

"The explosion of their robot did this, they barely survived," Ash said quickly.

"They should have died. The world doesn't need trash like them," Mason muttered. Ash sweatdropped and laughed nervously.

"You kids return to Silver Town, I'll handle this situation," Officer Jenny said to Ash's group. "I'll see that they are punished for their crimes."

Ash nodded as he and his group turned to leave, climbing over the edge of the mid-sized crater. Officer Jenny and Ranger Mason stayed behind to take custody of the crippled poachers. "So Ash, where's the mother?" Brock asked as they reached the road that would guide them back to Silver Town, Latias and Latios flying quietly behind them.

"They sold her to some poacher named Rico from Hoenn, but we'll get her back," Ash said with determination clear in his voice.

Brock and Misty nodded, following him down the path to Silver Town. "Let's go and get some rest. I suggest we begin the training tomorrow." Ash said.

"Okay Ash," Brock replied. It was only mid-day, though…Brock wondered why Ash had changed his mind. Had something happened in the fight with the poachers? Something seemed…off…

He wondered what it was.

* * *

The rest of the day was rather simple. The gang decided to have some fun and enjoy themselves in Silver Town. Since the conference was starting soon, the town was lively and there were lots of fun things to do, through Ash avoided Latios most of the time.

It was now around midnight, but Ash couldn't sleep, so he went out to the balcony of his hotel suite. Since he was on the fifth floor, the balcony had a nice view of the lake, the moon's reflection creating a nice image as gentle breezes gave the night a passive feeling.

He still couldn't get the day's actions out his mind. The fact of what Latios had done and had _almost _done still unnerved and scared him. He sighed. This was just too much, and he was so focused that he didn't notice the Pokemon his thoughts were centered around had just floated beside him. "Can't sleep, Ash?" Latios asked quietly, not wanting to wake up everyone.

Ash gave a startled jump. "Latios," Ash hissed quietly. "Don't do that."

Latios chuckled. "I came to talk a little with you."

Ash gulped. "Yes, what is it?"

"You've been acting a little strange around me today since we defeated the poachers. Care to explain?" Latios asked calmly.

Ash froze. "It's just… I don't know,"

Latios sighed. "Listen, I know that you don't fully approve of what I did earlier, but it was for the best. You don't have to beat yourself over it."

Ash nodded. "I know, but it's hard to ignore it."

Latios smiled. "I know you're a bit scared by what I did and what I can do, but you don't have to be. I'm your friend, I'd never do something like that to you."

Ash smiled back and patted Latios on the head gently. "I know."

Latios chuckled. "Let's go to sleep, tomorrow will be another day."

With that said, both went to peacefully rest. Tomorrow the training would begin, to prepare for the Silver Conference!

* * *

That's all for chapter 9! Hope you all like it a lot!

Don't forget to review. Until Next time!


	10. Final Preparations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy"_

A/N: Chapter 10! Hope you all like it!

* * *

Today, we find our heroes walking to the forests around Mt. Silver, ready to start training for the upcoming Silver Conference. Ash was eager to participate in his second Pokemon League. They weren't using the special training fields outside the Pokemon Center because they were supposed to keep Latios a secret for as long as possible. If even a few trainers saw him, the word would spread like wildfire, so they decided to train in a secluded spot in the nearby forest.

"So Brock, you said that you and Misty had planned the best moves for my Johto Team to learn, right?" Ash asked, glad that he was receiving support from his friends.

"Yes Ash. Our goal is to have each of your Pokemon learn one attack as that could be very helpful for the tournament," Brock answered. He noted that Ash seemed to have returned to his normal mood. Whatever problem had bothered him yesterday after the poacher fight seemed to have vanished.

"Which moves did you choose?" Ash asked curiously. Pikachu listened in as well, he was eager to learn something new.

"Well," Misty started. "Bayleef lacks a strong Grass-type attack, so let's try and teach her Solar Beam. Cyndaquil lacks a strong close range Fire-type attack, so we'll work on Flame Wheel. Phanpy should learn Hidden Power as a surprise move. Tododile can learn Hydro Pump to boost his attack power. Pikachu should learn Iron Tail to help him against Rock and Ground-Types. And for Latios, we'll teach him Steel Wing. That attack will be useful against Ice-Types, and he needs a close range attack anyway."

Ash' eyes were sparkling with joy at the prospect of his team receiving such attacks. Latias giggled at his expression. She was currently flying behind them along with Latios. "As long as I'm not attacked over and over again, I'm fine," Latios muttered, shivering at the memory of how he had learned Recover.

Pikachu laughed. "I _loved_ helping you learn Recover."

Latios glared at the electric mouse. "I'll get you back for all those shocks someday."

"In your dreams!" Pikachu replied.

Ash hid a small chuckle at their conversation. Misty and Brock ignored them, mainly because they couldn't understand a thing._ 'Stupid language barrier,' _Brock thought in annoyance.

Once the group had reached a small forest clearing, they decided it was a good place to start training. The clearing had a small river going through it and a few rocky areas. "Everyone, come on out!" Ash shouted, releasing all his Pokemon. He sidestepped quickly, skillfully dodging Bayleef's Body Slam. She pouted. "Sorry, you need to be faster than that." Ash said.

Bayleef smirked mischievously. "We'll see next time." Ash shivered at her tone.

"Okay, let's start," Brock said while walking closer to Ash's team. "Misty, you help Totodile learn Hydro Pump." She nodded and walked to the river. At Ash's nod, Totodile followed her.

"Larvitar knows Hidden Power, right Ash?" Brock asked. Ash nodded. Larvitar knew the attack, he just hadn't used it.

"Then Larvitar will help Phanpy learn Hidden Power," Brock said, looking at the small Rock and Ground-Type. Larvitar didn't even move an inch. Brock sighed.

"Larvitar," Ash started kindly, crouching down to face the small Rock Skin Pokemon. "Could you please help Phanpy learn Hidden Power?" Larvitar nodded and began walking away. The little blue elephant followed. "Good luck!" Ash called to the retreating Ground-Types as they walked to the edge of the clearing.

"Thanks daddy! I'll do my best," Phanpy chirped happily.

Larvitar looked at him quizzically. "Why did you call him 'daddy' if he's not your real father?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Phanpy smiled and nudged Larvitar playfully. Larvitar, still not used to contact in general, backed away nervously. "I call him daddy because he hatched me and he always takes care of me even when he doesn't have to. That's why I love him as a father," Phanpy explained happily.

Larvitar looked at the little blue elephant oddly. Larvitar realized that they were pretty much the same, Both were hatched by Ash, even if Phanpy treated Ash like his father and Larvitar was searching for his mother. Larvitar wondered if it would be alright to refer to Ash as Phanpy did. Usually Larvitars never knew their fathers as it was always the mothers that took care of the offspring, so maybe Ash could play that role for him like he did with Phanpy.

"You should call him daddy too, he hatched you and cares for you too," Phanpy suggested happily. Larvitar wondered if Phanpy had somehow read his mind.

"I'll think about it," Larvitar muttered.

"That means you'd be my brother!" Phanpy squealed childishly and nuzzled Larvitar happily. The Rock skin pokemon laughed nervously.

"Can we get to teaching you the attack please," Larvitar said quickly, prying Phanpy off of him. The little blue elephant nodded eagerly. In the distance Latias smiled happily, glad that Larvitar was opening up a little more.

"Well," Brock started. "I'll help Bayleef learn Solar Beam, and you Ash will help Cyndaquil learn Flame Wheel."

"How do I do that?" Ash asked.

"I'll explain shortly," Brock started. He turned to Latias. "Latias, you'll help Latios and Pikachu learn their attacks. According to my Breeder's Guide, for a Pokemon to learn a Steel-type physical attack, the Pokemon first needs to strengthen the muscles in the appendage used for the attack. Basically, Pikachu and Latios are doing exercises for that, Pikachu to make his tail stronger and Latios to make his wings harder." Both Latios and Pikachu got a sick feeling. Something told them that they weren't going to like this one bit.

"Okay Ash, for Cyndaquil to learn Flame Wheel, he needs to make his back flames as strong as possible so they cover him completely. Then he should keep the fire up for a while," Brock instructed. "Latios and Pikachu, follow me," he said, walking to the rocky area, leaving Ash to handle Cyndaquil's training. Latias followed him too.

Once he reached the rocks, Brock took out three ropes, one small and two long and sturdy. Both Latios and Pikachu got an idea of what Brock was planning and turned green in the face. "Okay Pikachu, I'm going to tie a small rock to your tail. You have to lift it consecutively until your tail muscles get stronger. It might take a few days." Brock explained. Pikachu almost fainted. "Latios, I'm going to tie one large rock to each wing. You have to move your wings up and down a little. That will make them stronger and also help you build up endurance. Since you fly by levitation, the rocks won't hinder you since your wing shape tells me you use them just to stabilize yourself. Am I right?" Latios nodded. Brock then turned to Latias. "Latias, you make sure they don't slack off." Latias grinned devilishly. Latios and Pikachu gulped in terror.

Brock proceeded to tie the rocks to both Pokemon. First he tied a fist-sized rock to Pikachu's tail, and then he tied one mid-sized rock, about double Pikachu's size, to each of Latios' wings. Latios started hovering about a foot lower. "Jeez, these are heavy," Latios complained. He exerted a bit more power and regained his normal height. Pikachu started moving his tail up and down and Latios did the same with his wings. Latias watched them as they exercised. She was going to enjoy this.

"I'm off to train Bayleef," Brock said as he turned around, leaving Latias to take care of them. He walked over to Bayleef. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, how to teach you Solar Beam?" He glanced at his Pokemon Breeder's guide. He flipped through the pages until he found the desired attack. He read through the summary a few times and nodded. "Okay, Bayleef, to learn Solar Beam, you have to first learn to concentrate the sun's energy into your neck leaves. Once you manage to keep the energy focused for a while, you unleash it. Try it."

Bayleef nodded and took a glance at the sun. It was shinning brightly, as usual. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt the sun's rays caressing her soft skin. She slowly began taking the sun's rays into her leaves, almost like photosynthesis. As a Grass-type pokemon, Bayleef usually enjoying sunbathing every once in a while, but she had never tried anything like this. Bayleef opened her eyes and glanced at her neck leaves. They were glowing very faintly, but still lacked the full charge necessary for Solar Beam. She frowned. This was hard.

Brock chuckled at Bayleef's frown. "Don't worry, no one was expecting you to get it on your first try. You need to absorb the sun's energy faster."

Bayleef nodded and tried again, but she still didn't gather enough energy. The leaves didn't shine that much, they were still as dim as the last time. Bayleef turned to Brock. "Does that book have any useful tips or something?" she questioned.

Brock chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't speak pokemon."

Brock heard a small giggle in his mind._ "She asked you if your book has a tip or something to help her,"_ Latias translated telepathically. Brock whirled around and looked in Latias's direction. She was still near Latios and Pikachu.

Brock nodded. "Thanks."

"_No Problem__," _she replied. She turned back to her brother and friend. "Pikachu! Keep moving that tail!" Pikachu groaned and resumed his training. It looked as though Latias's little distraction didn't provide that much of a rest.

Brock resumed reading his book. "According to this, you could try to block everything out and concentrate completely on absorbing the sun's rays, ignoring everything around you."

Bayleef frowned. "And how do I do that mid-battle?"

After a quick telepathic translation from Latias, Brock answered, "That's just for learning. Once you get used to the feeling, it will be easier to pull off the attack under the stress of a battle."

Bayleef nodded and concentrated again. This time she ignored everything. Every sound, every feeling, every thought, and focused just on the sunbeams that were hitting her. She slowly began to imagine herself as one with those beams. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. After about thirty seconds, she opened her eyes and found that her neck leaves were shining a little more than before, but it still wasn't enough.

"That was good Bayleef, keep at it and you should master the attack quickly," Brock praised. "Now keep trying." Bayleef smiled and nodded. She took a few deep breaths and started again.

Meanwhile, a few yards away Ash was training Cyndaquil. "Okay Cyndaquil, again, make your flames really big!" Cyndaquil nodded and lit his back flames. He then tried to coat his entire body with them, but about midway the flames died and dissipated. "It seems you need a bit more strength in those flames so that they cover you completely."

"Yeah," Cyndaquil muttered. He panted. This was very tiring.

Ash smiled. "Come on, you can do it!" Cyndaquil nodded and tried again. He summoned as much of his fire as he could. Suddenly Ash had an idea. "Follow me!" he encouraged as he started sprinting. Cyndaquil nodded and started running after Ash. The added friction and wind were enough and Cyndaquil was covered in a bright coat of fire, but it still dissipated after a few seconds. Cyndaquil panted and came to a stop.

Ash smiled and crouched in front of Cyndaquil. He patted the small fire mouse pokemon. "Good job! You made it! Through you still need to maintain the attack, but it's still something."

Cyndaquil smiled brightly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Care to try again?" Ash asked. Cyndaquil nodded and resumed sprinting.

During their Flame Wheel attempts, Cyndaquil and Ash passed Misty, who was helping Totodile learn Hydro Pump with the help of her Politoed. She smiled at the boy's enthusiasm and eagerness, at least he seemed to be enjoying himself with Cyndaquil. She turned her attention back to Totodile. "Okay Totodile, use Hydro Pump!" she instructed, pointing at the small river that went through the clearing. Totodile nodded and took a deep breath before exhaling a powerful torrent of water.

Misty frowned. "No Totodile, that's still Water Gun. Hydro Pump uses a lot more power than that. Follow my example: Politoed use Hydro Pump!" Misty exclaimed.

The bright green toad-like Pokemon clapped his hand eagerly and took a quick breath, then spat a powerful torrent of water at the river. Totodile immediately noticed that Politoed's water attack was a lot stronger than his own.

Misty nodded approvingly. "Listen, Hydro Pump uses a lot more power than Water Gun, thus making the attack more damaging. You have to learn to concentrate that power faster." Totodile nodded and attacked again, still with Water Gun. Misty frowned. _'This is going to be a little harder than I thought.'_

Unknown to Misty, someone was having even harder times than her. "No, you need to be patient!" Larvitar grumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Phanpy gave him a blank look. "Could you explain the attack again please? It's very confusing." Larvitar groaned in frustration. He had already explained it _seven_ times. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Phanpy gave him a pleading look. "Please, brother!"

"Alright, but listen carefully," Larvitar started. He eyed Phanpy and saw that he was paying full attention. He continued. "Hidden Power is a move that makes the user release a powerful blast of energy. However, to learn how to draw on that energy you must learn to calm yourself completely. Once you learn to tap into that power, you can use it at any time. Got it?" Phanpy nodded slowly. Larvitar smiled. "Okay, now close your eyes."

Phanpy was just about to close his eyes, but paused. "Why is it that when someone is about to tap into some power they must always close their eyes?" he asked curiously.

Larvitar paused. "Well… I don't know." Admittedly, Larvitar found himself wondering the same thing. Maybe he'd ask Latias later.

Phanpy pouted. "Aw, come on bro, tell me!"

Larvitar glanced around nervously. "Just do it!"

Phanpy closed his eyes. "My eyes are closed."

Larvitar smiled. "Okay, now take a deep breath. Feel the energy around you. Call on it, and then expel it."

Phanpy sat like that for a while, before whining, "I'm bored."

Larvitar sweatdropped. "Listen, here is what the attack should look like," Larvitar said, pointing to a rock. He began to glow faintly as several bright spheres of light formed around him. With a mighty push all the spheres were sent charging toward the boulder. They struck the boulder, causing it to crack and fall apart.

Phanpy grinned broadly. "I'm learning that!" He chirped excitedly. "I want to learn it now!"

Larvitar sweatdropped. _'I should have showed him the attack from the very beginning.' _

Phanpy looked at him. "Bro, you used the attack but you didn't do any of that concentrate and close your eyes stuff."

"That's because I already know how to make the attack. Once you learn how to use it you can even do it while running," Larvitar explained.

"Okay!" Phanpy chorused happily and resumed concentrating. A few seconds passed. "I'm bored again." Larvitar's eye twitched. He started wondering if it'd be okay to use Hidden Power on Phanpy. Ash wouldn't like that, though, so he was going to have to tolerate this for now.

He glanced at the others. He noted that Pikachu and Latios were looking really tired and Latias was watching them intently. Misty was trying to get Totodile to use Hydro Pump but the small blue Pokemon used Water Gun every time. Ash and Cyndaquil were still sprinting around. Every once in a while flames covered Cyndaquil as he tried to use Flame Wheel, but he still couldn't maintain the attack for long. And Bayleef was just sunbathing. Her neck leaves glowed a few times, but it still didn't look like she was making much progress. He sighed. This was going to take a while.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Nobody managed to pull off their new attacks, but some came close to learning them. Latios and Pikachu spent the entire night complaining about their sore wings and tail. They hoped that they learned their attacks quickly before their limbs fell off.

As the days progressed, Ash's team gained more skill. Once all of Ash's Pokemon managed to learn and successfully use their moves, they proceeded to spar continually to gain a bit more battle experience, especially Latios as he was the one that needed to get more competitive faster. At least all that time carrying rocks made his endurance higher.

Ash usually sparred against Brock and Misty, or against his own Pokemon, and for some reason Pikachu enjoyed sparring with Latios, though Latios won most of the time. Latias also sparred once in a while and learned DragonBreath too, apparently Latios taught her that. Larvitar participated a few times, but he was still reluctant to be near too many people at once, and when that happened he would Screech. Brock and Misty still couldn't get close to Larvitar without receiving an earful.

Overall the team was developing nicely, which was certainly a good thing as the tournament was drawing near, and Ash was sure that the Silver Conference was going to be far more difficult than the Indigo League. He was sure his Johto team was in good shape now. With this team along with the Kanto team and the soon to arrive Charizard and Squirtle, he would truly be ready for the Silver Conference, and whoever he fought would have a very difficult battle ahead.

* * *

After ten days of hard training, finally the big day had arrived. Today was the opening ceremony for the Silver Conference!

Ash and his friends were walking to the Pokemon Center, in the early morning. The opening ceremony was in about one hour. _"Nice Pokemon Center_," Latias commented telepathically. She was as usual disguised as Bianca, though she was getting bored of using Bianca's look and was contemplating creating a new body for herself. Latios said that wasn't a bad idea.

On the lower floor of the Pokemon Center was the administrative area for the Silver Conference. Behind a desk with a few assorted screens was a young lady with glasses and brown hair. Brock was just about to sprint over to her but suddenly his entire body froze in place. He managed to barely look at Latias and saw that her pupils were slightly glowing. Misty noticed it and smiled. "Latias, I'll admit that you have style." She held her hand out and she and Latias high-fived. Latias smirked happily. Brock tried to whine is despair but he couldn't even do that.

Ash walked up to the lady behind the desk. "Hello miss, I'd like to know the place and times for my preliminary matches," he said, looking excited.

"Could you please hand me your Pokedex for a minute?" She asked. Ash nodded and handed her the PokeDex. She inserted it into a slot on her computer. Ash's picture and registration information appeared on the screen. "Alright Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, the preliminaries consist of three matches against randomly assorted trainers, all one on one. You can only advance to the Second Round if you win all three matches. If you lose one, you are out. The preliminaries are designed to reduce the number of participants from over two hundred to just forty-eight," the receptionist informed him in a bored tone of voice, probably because she had to repeat this information over and over again to every trainer. She looked at the registry and read the times of Ash's battles. "The preliminary matches will be held during the next three days. All of your matches are today. The first of your battles will be at four o' clock on field six, the second at five o'clock on field one and the last at seven o' clock on field two." She then took out the PokeDex and handed it back to Ash. "Good Luck."

Ash nodded. "Thanks!"

Latias released Brock. He took a step away from her and knew that he couldn't get near a girl anytime soon. "Just don't lose any battles, Ash," Misty muttered. Ash fumed.

"Why does everyone say I'll lose!" Ash demanded.

"Maybe because it's obvious," a familiar voice spoke from behind Ash. The second Ash heard this voice his blood boiled. He turned around and came face to face with his life-long rival, Gary Oak.

Gary chuckled. "Hello there Ashy-boy, ready to lose?" he asked teasingly.

Telepathic laugher was projected in everyone's minds except Gary's, _"Ashy-boy?" _Latias questioned before resuming laughing. Ash ignored her.

"Nope," Ash answered confidently. "I'm sure you're going to get your ass kicked!"

"Says you," Gary muttered before turning around and walking towards the receptionist to also ask for his preliminary matches.

"Still as overconfident as ever," Pikachu muttered.

"I'm so going to shove that huge ego of his down his throat!" Ash snarled.

"_Who's that Ash__y-boy? A friend of yours?" _Latias asked telepathically once she had finally stopped laughing.

"That's Gary, my rival, and I forbid you to call me that," Ash answered. Latias giggled.

Deciding that he didn't want to spend another second near Gary, Ash walked outside the Pokemon Center and resumed walking. He picked up and carried Larvitar in his arms, not wanting someone to accidentally walk too close and get Screeched at. Latias was using her Psychic powers to make Larvitar lighter so Ash could carry him comfortably. They started walking to the main stadium, where the opening ceremony would commence. "I'm so going to beat the crap out of him," Ash muttered. Larvitar looked up at him and wondered why Ash was so eager to fight that particular trainer.

Brock laughed. "Make sure it's not the other way around."

"Yeah, I'm so gonna devastate his team with Latios and Charizard," Ash said, trusting that his two greatest powerhouses could knock out Gary's team, or at least a good part of it.

"Remember that those two can't do the entire job alone," Brock lectured Ash.

"I know," Ash replied. After a few minutes of walking, Ash saw a familiar person. "Hey! Mr. Goodshow!" Ash called, remembering him from the Indigo League.

The small man turned to him, brushing his long white beard a little. "Ahh, hello Ash! I knew it wouldn't be too long before I saw you. Ready to compete?" Mr. Goodshow asked kindly.

"Yeah, so where are you going?" Ash asked.

Mr. Goodshow smiled. "I'm going to the Opening Ceremony to get everything ready. I had a little problem with a Sneasel messing with the torch to ignite the flame atop the stadium, but that problem's been taken care of."

"All right," Ash said, remembering that lighting a torch was the main event of the Silver Conference opening ceremony.

"What was the problem?" Misty asked curiously.

"The Sneasel wouldn't let anyone near the torch, but it was caught by a trainer named Harrison," Mr. Goodshow summarized. "Now we can light the Stadium's great flame with Ho-oh's power."

"Ho-oh?" Ash asked. He remembered that in the Indigo League it was Moltres's flames that were used, not Ho-oh's.

"Yes, Ho-oh is part of a very important legend here in Silver Town, so it's natural that its flames are used," Mr. Goodshow explained.

"What's the legend?" Brock asked.

Mr. Goodshow took a deep breath before beginning. "It is said that long ago there was a terrible war here. The war was so devastating that the entire landscape surrounding Mt. Silver was left as a barren wasteland. Ho-oh descended from the heavens and with its mighty flames engulfed the area in a colossal fire. From the ashes of that fire, new life blossomed, and turned this area into a beautiful forest. A single flame was left behind, and that flame was preserved in a shrine, the very same flame that will be used in the opening ceremony."

"Ahhhh," everyone muttered.

"All those events gave birth to the beautiful landscape Silver Town and the surrounding areas are blessed with," Mr. Goodshow said, looking at the great mountain.

After a few more minutes of walking they arrived at the colossal stadium that made up Silver Town's center. On the upper level of the stadium was the massive torch that would soon be lit, signaling the start of the Silver Conference. Mr. Goodshow smiled fondly. "The pride of Silver Town, the great Silver Stadium. All qualified trainers have to be in the arena. All relatives I must ask to go to the seats please," Mr. Goodshow informed them before entering a private door, probably leading to the main stage set in the arena for the opening events.

The stadium looked majestic, since all the final arrangements had been made for the grand opening. The stadium was a vague oval shape. The top part was painted blue, with silver colored ornaments. On the lower parts, several arches decorated the different entrances to the Stadium. These were painted in a bright silver color.

"Looks nice," Misty commented. "Well Ash, we're going to the stands, you go on in!"

Ash nodded. "Thanks!"

"See ya Ash," Misty and Brock said, walking to one of the access tunnels for the stadium stands.

"_I'll take Larvitar, Ash__,"_ Latias told him telepathically, extending her arms.

Ash complied and handed him over. "Larvitar, be a good boy and please don't screech, okay?" Ash asked the little Rock and Ground type, gently scratching his head. Larvitar nodded. Latias smiled and started walking after Brock and Misty.

Ash grinned and rushed into the arena. Once inside, he was mesmerized by the stadium's interior. The stands were bursting with people. Thousands of people were seated in the numerous rows that filled the stands. The stadium's inside structure was also very nice. The support pillars were painted a bright silver color while the stands and doorways were blue, making a nice contrast. On the sides of the stadium two different things caught Ash's attention. On one side of the stadium was a huge screen probably used during the matches, and directly opposing the screen on the other side was the great torch. A stairway led from the base of the battlefield to the very top of the pedestal the torch was on.

At the very center of the arena was a stage with a microphone. Ash guessed it was for the opening speech. Numerous cameras and TV equipment were aligned along the stage. There were many news and TV programs transmitting the Silver Conference on worldwide television.

In the stands Latias, Brock and Misty had already seen him. Latias and Larvitar were now both nervous wrecks. Neither of them was used to being near so much people, not even Latias, but in her case it was more with strangers. Larvitar was resisting the urge to screech. He had told Ash he wouldn't screech and he was going to obey, but Ash owed him big time for this.

Ash glanced at the arena and saw most of the trainers that were there. He was stunned by the sheer number of them. Most of them looked older than Ash, but then again Ash was just eleven. Pikachu laughed at Ash's anxious look. "Don't worry! We're still going to beat the crap out of them."

"Still, they all look tough compared to me," Ash said, a nervous tone in his voice.

Pikachu laughed. "Yeah, but tell me, out of all these losers, how many of them can understand Pokemon speech and happen to have two Legendary Pokemon on their team?"

"Good Point," Ash admitted. In that aspect he was far above the others.

A few minutes passed and more trainers kept pouring in, Ash also noted that the stadium was also almost filled up completely. The stands were literally bursting with people.

Soon Mr. Goodshow appeared on the stage in the center of the arena. All the cameras turned to him. "Greetings everyone! Today marks the day the Annual Silver Conference will begin!" Everyone cheered loudly. Once the noise had died down Mr. Goodshow continued. "I hereby congratulate all the trainers that qualified and will participate in the Silver Conference. It has been a long road to gain the eight badges needed to get this far and it all ends here, with all of you fighting for the Silver Conference trophy!" He frowned. "But the road is even harder now. There are more than two hundred trainers here, but only one can emerge victorious, who will that be?" he asked, waving his arms dramatically at the crowd of trainers.

All the trainers had the same thought in their minds. '_That's going to be me!'_

"It sad to say that after the next three days, only forty-eight out of you will continue," Mr. Goodshow continued, a sad edge in his voice. "But that makes it even more interesting. I wish you all very good luck and that you give us a Silver Conference to remember!" Mr. Goodshow boomed. The entire stadium cheered loudly.

An athlete entered the arena running with a small torch. The torch was lit by a bright and almost magical flame. The runner sprinted up the stairs that led to the Torch high on the stadium walls, touching his own torch to it and causing it to ignite. The entire stadium was lit by a majestic flame rising several meters into the air. The crowd looked in awe at the inspiring fire.

Mr. Goodshow smiled. He had always loved the opening ceremonies of any Pokemon League. "I declare the Silver Conference begun!" Everyone cheered loudly again. Once the cheering had died down, Mr. Goodshow continued. "Now, the preliminaries will be held in the smaller fields surrounding this stadium. All spectators, please exit and watch any battle you choose to. All trainers that are battling today, please report to your designated fields." With that said Mr. Goodshow walked off the stage. Soon everyone left the stadium and started heading to the battlefields surrounding Silver Stadium.

Ash pondered what to do since none of his matches were until noon. Misty, Brock and Latias soon joined him. Larvitar fidgeted in Latias' arms, so she smiled and handed him to Ash. "Hello again, Ashy-boy," Gary said, walking up to Ash.

"What do you want now?" Ash asked in irritation.

"Just saying hello," Gary said off-handedly. "My first match is in a few minutes, then the other two are tomorrow, so I'm off." With that said, Gary walked to the fields.

Ash sighed. "Let's go to the gift shops and look four souvenirs until my first match is up," Ash suggested. The others nodded and followed him. Brock's eyes sparkled at the anticipation of running into lots of pretty girls. He paused and glanced at Latias, who was glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He groaned. Was she always watching him or something?

* * *

"Yes!" Jessie shouted as the cash kept coming in. They had decided to put James' bottle cap collection to good use and they were selling them as souvenir painted badges.

James wept. "What did my little collection do to deserve this?" At least he had managed to hide the more valuable ones before Jessie got this idea, so they were just selling the cheap and easy to get ones. Still, the experience was quite painful.

"Stop whining! Look at all da cash we're getting!" Meowth beamed, counting the money. James sighed and resumed painting the bottle caps.

Jessie smirked but soon paled. Just in front of her a familiar group passed by. "It's the twerps!" She hissed. At least their salesman costumes kept them from being recognized.

James and Meowth peeked over. "I'm too tired to bother them right now, let's save all the cash and order a powerful mecha to hunt down that Pikachu," James suggested.

"Yeah!" Both Jessie and Meowth cheered. With a new resolve, they painted and worked even harder to get the money to buy something to capture Pikachu. Soon, Ash's group disappeared as they turned around the next corner.

* * *

Next chapter, the Silver Conference Begins!

Until Next time… Please Review! I enjoy your reviews a lot!


	11. The Silver Conference Begins!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

* * *

"What time is it?" An excited voice asked.

An aggravated sigh was his only reply. Brock righted himself quickly. "It's still two o' clock, Ash."

"I want it to be four o' clock! I want to battle!" Ash whined. Why did time always go so slowly when he was waiting for something?

Misty sighed. "Ash, you've asked the time almost thirty times today. The more you ask, the slower time will pass."

Ash whined again and mumbled something about wanting to make time move faster. Misty and Brock resisted the urge to smack him. They tolerated him because they understood he was eager to start his Silver Conference battles. Even with the entertaining things in the shopping district of Silver Town, he was still desperate to battle.

"So Brock, how do the preliminaries work?" Ash asked, not wanting his battle to start without knowing a thing, as usually happened. He had also forgotten most of the explanation he got from the lady behind the desk.

Brock rolled his eyes and took out his Silver Conference Guidebook. "According to this, there are three one-on-one matches held in neutral fields. Both trainers are given a color, either green or red, and then the scoreboard chooses a color randomly. The color it chooses determines which trainer sends out a Pokemon first, meaning that the second trainer will have an advantage because they will be able to select a Pokemon with a type advantage," Brock answered.

"That means it's best if I don't get picked first," Ash muttered. "But what do I do if I _do _go first?"

"Well, if you are chosen to send your Pokemon second, send a Pokemon with a Type advantage, but if you have to send out a Pokemon first, pick your strongest to be on the safe side, obviously excluding Latios," Brock answered.

"I suggest that you use Pikachu if you send your Pokemon first," Misty suggested.

Ash turned to look at her. "Why?"

"Because it's the most logical choice," Misty answered. "Pikachu's only weakness is Ground-types, and Pikachu is your most experienced Pokemon. If you send in Bayleef first for example, it'll be easier for your opponent to have a Pokemon with an advantage since Bayleef has multiple weaknesses, the same goes for most of your team." Ash nodded, this sounded like good strategy.

"_You worry too much. Ash will win, I'm sure of it!"_ Latias said telepathically, not even a single doubt in her mental voice.

Ash turned to her and smiled. "Thanks."

Latias grinned happily before turning to look to a stand. Her eyes lit up. It was selling sweets. She eagerly walked up to it and inspected the things to offer, her mouth watering. Ash and the others walked up to her. "What can I help you with, young lady?" the stand vendor asked kindly.

Latias turned to Ash. _"Can I get one, please?" _she asked sweetly, tugging at Ash's sleeve.

"That can't be very healthy," Brock muttered. "No sweets for you Bianca."

"_I don't care, besides I always eat your 'healthy' food Brock, one sweet can't hurt,"_ Latias whined telepathically. Brock shook his head. Latias huffed, but it was a good thing that she knew how manipulate Brock _very _easily. _"Let me buy one and I'll let you flirt with a girl."_

This caught Brock's attention. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

"_Yes,"_ Latias replied. Brock whistled happily._ "You have ten minutes before I stop you,"_ Latias added, sweatdropping.

Brock sighed in disappointment. "Only ten? That's too little!"

"_The clock's ticking. Nine minutes and thirty seconds left," _Latias continued happily. Knowing that he really couldn't argue with a Legendary Pokemon, Brock quickly started running in search of a pretty girl to try and get a date with.

Misty looked amused at Latias' antics. "We are going to stop him, right?"

Latias nodded. _"I said that_ I_ would give him ten minutes, _you_ didn't say anything about letting him get away with anything." _Getting Latias' hint, Misty grinned and took out her mallet as she began chasing after Brock to save whatever girls he flirted with.

Ash watched in amazement. "Why does he always chase girls anyway? What's so special about girls?" Pikachu started laughing and fell from Ash's shoulder. Inside their Pokeballs Latios rolled his eyes and chuckled and Bayleef sighed. Is he really that dense? (Yes, yes he is.)

Latias wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He blushed at the contact. _"That, my dear Ash, is something you will understand when you're older." _

"Why does everyone I ask say that!" Ash protested. Larvitar look at them in confusion and wondered what the heck they were talking about.

"_Because that's how things are,"_ Latias began. _"You'll understand the relations between boys and girls and love later on. Don't rush it. You're still eleven, and you have a lot of time left to learn," _Latias finished kindly.

Ash was even more confused. "Can't you explain why boys and girls are supposed to be with each other now? And how do I love someone?" he asked innocently. Latios couldn't take it anymore and laughed wholeheartedly inside his Pokeball. Pikachu laughed even harder on the ground, rolling around in hysterical laugher.

Latias blushed massively and took a step back. _"I'll explain it when you're older, I promise." _She paused. '_I hope someone else does it, anyone but Brock. If that pervert explained anything to Ash about this topic, he'll traumatize the poor boy for life.'_

Ash signed. "Okay, Bianca." Ash glanced down at Pikachu. "And could you stop laughing!" Pikachu ignored him and kept laughing.

Latias decided to change the topic. _"Can you buy me my sweet please!"_ She pleaded.

"Sure, pick anything you want," Ash answered kindly. Latias's eyes sparkled in joy as she scanned the stand in search of something that would appeal to her. The stand owner looked at the group in confusion. This was by far the strangest group of trainers he had ever seen, but he made no comment.

Ash took out his wallet and peeked in. He had a little money, as usual, but it was enough to buy Latias a treat. Latias finally decided and grabbed a small chocolate cake in a plastic container along with a fork and napkin. She flashed the owner a cheery smile before nodding to Ash. Ash smiled to her and paid for the cake. They turned and resumed walking. Ash picked up Larvitar and carried him in his arms to prevent accidental screeches. As usual, Latias was helping psychically.

"Psychic powers are awesome!" Ash commented.

"_Thanks,"_ Latias said with a smile.

"I wish I had Psychic powers like Latios said I might do, it would be amazing!" Ash said, a dreamy look in his eyes as he thought of all the things he could do with psychic abilities.

Latias smiled joyfully_. "Yeah, I hope so too. Psychic powers sure are great."_

"If I get them, you and Latios will help me learn how to use them, right?" Ash asked.

Latias nodded. _"Sure, we'll help you. However, remember that with great power comes great responsibility. If you get those kinds of abilities, make sure to never misuse them. If you abuse those powers, Latios and I will make sure you regret it, alright?"_

Ash gulped. "I'd never do something bad with something so amazing!" he protested.

"_I know Ash, but it's fair that I warn you_." Latias smiled. She knew Latios would have said the same things.

Pikachu chuckled. "I'll help too. An electric shock is the answer to a lot of things." Latias laughed.

In the distance they heard a scream of agony. They knew it was Brock. Latias giggled and turned to Ash. _"Thanks for the cake."_

"No problem," Ash replied. He noticed she hadn't started eating it. "Why don't you eat it now?"

Latias smiled and turned to him. _"It's because I can only eat in my true form. My human form is just for disguise, I can't live in it." _

"Ah, that's why you've never eaten before like this," Ash muttered.

"And you just noticed that now?" Pikachu mocked. Ash ignored the mouse's comment.

"What time is it?" he asked, knowing that even if Latias didn't have a watch, she and Latios were good at telling time with just a gaze at the sun's position.

Latias glanced up. _"It's about two thirty."_

Ash sighed. He really wanted to start battling. He noticed that in their walking they had exited the souvenir areas, and reached the borderline of trees. Latias sniffed the air. _"Hey, let's go to the lake to pass the time."_

Ash shrugged and followed Latias as she sped up her stride. Within a few seconds they had crossed the treeline separating the Main Stadium and stalls from the lake. The sun was shinning brightly and the cool damp air created a nice setting. There were no people on the lakefront, most likely because they were all watching the Preliminaries.

After a few glances and psychic probes, Latias sensed that there were no human minds nearby. She handed Ash her cake and resumed her true form in a bright display of blue and white light. She stretched herself as the sun's rays gently hit her face. Ash took a seat near the shore and gently lowered Larvitar to the ground. Latias hovered near Ash and grabbed the plastic container from his hands. She opened it and gently rested herself beside Ash as she began to eat the cake. Ash smiled and took out a pokeball, releasing Latios. "Here, I thought you'd like a bit of fresh air," Ash said kindly. He glanced around. "If any of you sense anyone coming close, turn invisible." They nodded.

Latias smiled. "Hey brother, want some?" she asked, offering Latios some cake.

He shook his head. "No thanks, it's for you."

Latias pouted. "Aw, have a bit bro, it tastes great!" she said, holding a piece near Latios' face.

Latios smiled. "No thanks La-!" Latios didn't get a chance to finish as Latias shoved the chunk in his mouth. He blinked and started chewing. _"You're right, it is good,"_ he commented telepathically. Latias offered some to Ash, Pikachu, and Larvitar. Seeing that if they refused she was going to force-feed them anyway, they wisely accepted. Even after sharing, she still had a lot of cake left for herself, and continued eating happily.

"So Ash, ready for the preliminaries?" Latios asked, glancing down at Ash.

He smirked, pumping a fist to the air. "You bet I am!"

Latios smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "I'm sure you'll do fine. The preliminaries aren't that hard, they're mostly to eliminate the hopeless cases."

Ash frowned. "I'm not a hopeless case am I?"

Latios chuckled. "Of course not Ash, how can you call a trainer with two legendaries hopeless?"

Ash laughed sheepishly. "Good point."

Latias giggled and hovered closer to Ash. "So Ash, did you ever imagine when you started your Pokemon Journey that you were going to eventually have two legendaries with you?"

Ash looked up to the sky, contemplating his answer. "Honestly, no. The thought never even crossed my mind, I mean, legendaries are gods, and there are people who devote their lives to just _seeing _a legendary without ever getting a glimpse of one, so I never really got my hopes up." He laughed a little. "Just imagine my shock when I saw Ho-Oh on my first day as a trainer, even if I didn't know what a Ho-Oh was back then. Even so, it's like I knew by instinct that Ho-oh was a legendary." He smiled fondly at the memory. "And I've only spent a year and a half, well, almost two years traveling, and I've seen a lot of legendaries since then, something that people have tried to do for _ages_ without finding a single one." Ash paused, recalling a few tales his mom used to tell him. "My mom told me stories about real people who spend nearly sixty years of their lives looking for just one legendary without succeeding." He turned to Latios. "Latios, do you think that when I saw Ho-Oh on my first day as a trainer it was just luck?"

Latios shook his head. "No Ash, Lady Ho-Oh is a very powerful and wise legendary. She only reveals herself to people with a pure heart and a noble soul. The fact that she let you see her, even if only for a few seconds, indicates that she was wishing you good luck and offering you her blessings," Latios answered calmly.

Ash's eyes widened in surprise. Latios continued. "Also, the fact that many legendaries have willingly revealed themselves to you, me and Latias included, means that you are a really good human, good enough to be Lugia and Lady Ho-Oh's chosen one. And yes, Lady Ho-Oh also participated in choosing a human to help the legendaries in times of need."

"Wow, amazing," Ash muttered. He paused. "Wait, she? Lady Ho-Oh? Ho-Oh is a girl?"

Latios chuckled. "Yes."

"Why do you call her 'Lady' then, is she a queen or something?" Ash asked.

"No, I call her that out of respect; she is older and wiser than me, as well as stronger," Latios admitted, admiration clear in his voice.

"Have you met her before?" Ash asked.

Latios nodded. "A few times."

Ash looked confused. "How? I thought you and Latias never left Altomare."

"Well," Latios began. "Latias has never left Altomare since she hatched, but I've left a few times, for short periods of time, usually when Latias or I needed to discuss something with another Legendary. She stayed to protect Altomare and I left to talk with the other legendary. Then, once my business is finished, I return."

"How old is Ho-Oh?" Ash asked curiously.

"I won't tell you her real age since I don't know it, just an approximate that she told me. She's about uhh, over a million years... That's all I know, how much after the million I have no idea." Latios answered.

Ash paused in pure shock. "She's over a million!" Ash shouted, shocked that anyone could live that long. Pikachu was also impressed, he knew Legendaries were old, but not _that_ old. Larvitar didn't really care as he was barely half a month old. Latias giggled at his expression. Ash recovered enough to speak. "How can someone be so old?"

"Well, she can revive people and Pokémon easily, including herself. Additionally, she is immortal." Latios answered. Ash's eyes widened, clearly impressed.

Ash looked at him. "Latios… how old are you and Latias?"

Latios looked at Latias. She nodded, her mouth still stuffed with cake. "Well, I think we'll finally tell you. Latias and I are both one-hundred and nine years old, and I'm older than she is by three days," Latios answered, eyeing Ash to see his reaction.

Ash's jaw dropped. "You… are… HOW OLD!" Pikachu also looked utterly baffled. Larvitar… still didn't care. Ash nearly fainted. They were older than a century!

"I hatched before Lorenzo's father. He took care of us in our youth. It was hard as we didn't have parents." Latios and Latias glanced at Larvitar at this point. He cast a small downward look, once again wondering if his attitude was correct around his only friends. "So I tried to behave like a parent would even as a kid, all for Latias. I'm glad that she appreciated it."

Latias hugged Latios. "I'm still grateful. Thanks a lot bro." She had finally finished her cake.

"I know, sis," Latios said, but laughed as she had some cake crumbs on her cheeks. Ash laughed too. Latias pouted. Ash thought she just looked adorable.

Ash grabbed the napkin, gently cupped Latias' head, and cleaned her cheeks. She giggled. "Thanks." She tackled Ash playfully and nuzzled him on the neck. He fell on his back laughing as Latias nuzzled him. He hugged her back, loving the feel of her soft feathers against his skin.

Latios smiled at them. He glanced up at the sun. "Mm, Ash, your battle is in about twenty minutes, we should head to the field."

Latias backed off to let Ash stand. He got up and nodded. "Finally! Let's go."

He took out a pokeball. "Latios, return." A red beam shot from the Pokeball in Latios' direction, but Latios quickly dodged to the side. Ash frowned. "Why did you move out of the way?"

"Because I was going to ask you if I could see the battles from outside my Pokeball, but you didn't let me even ask," Latios answered.

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Sure you can, just don't let anyone see you."

Latios nodded and used his light-refracting feathers to become invisible, disappearing into thin air. Latias shapeshifted into her human form and picked up Larvitar. He was about to whine and struggle, wanting Ash to carry him, but a gentle smile from Latias was enough to calm him down. Together the group walked (and floated in Latios's case) to the arenas, which weren't really that far away.

Ash sighed,_ 'Now, where was my battle again?'_

"_If I recall, it was field six,"_ Latias informed him.

'_Hey! Stay out of my head!'_ Ash shouted.

"_I wasn't peeking at your thoughts, honest. I picked up the thought automatically, sorry,"_ Latias replied truthfully.

"_She's telling the truth Ash,"_ Latios also said.

"Alright. Sorry Latias for errr…Shouting in my head," Ash apologized, turning to glance at her.

Latias made giggling motions and laughed telepathically. _"It's okay."_

Ash smiled before walking to his designated field. The battlefields were crowded with people, each with a fence separating it from the others. Each enclosure had at least a hundred people behind the fence watching the numerous battles taking place.

"There, field six," Ash said, looking at the battlefield number. Inside the battlefield were a Nidoking and a Tauros fighting fiercely.

"Hey Ash!" Misty called. She was near a small door in the battlefield's fence. Beside her was Brock… with a nice lump on his head, courtesy of Misty's mallet.

"Hi," Ash greeted.

"Where have you been? We have been looking for you all over the place," Misty asked.

"At the lake, chatting with Latias and Latios to pass the time," Ash answered. Suddenly the Nidoking slammed against the fence next to them, completely defeated. "Guess that means I'm up," Ash muttered.

Brock and Misty laughed. "Good luck Ash!"

The speakers started announcing the next match. "Will Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Bruce Larkings from Azalea Town please report to field six!"

A rather tall and muscular man entered the field. Ash blinked, the man was huge! He was bald and had a black shirt and pants. "So, who's my opponent?" Bruce shouted. The audience that had gathered around the field cheered, apparently driven by the man's apparent toughness.

"Good luck Ash. Beat the crap out of him!" Brock cheered. Ash shrugged and entered the field.

Latios mentally laughed. _"Ash, I assure you the guy is more bark than bite. He'll be an easy opponent; he's just trying to intimidate you,"_ Latios telepathed. He was currently floating a few feet above the battlefield. Once Ash entered the arena, he hovered beside him. Ash nodded, he knew he could trust Latios' words.

Bruce looked at Ash. "Well, well, I have a small kid as my opponent! Great, why don't you give up now and save me the trouble, brat?" The audience cheered, expecting Ash to back down.

Ash grinned. "Nope, let's battle!" Bruce growled lowly, the brat wasn't intimidated the least bit! Ash mentally chuckled. _'You wouldn't act so tough if you knew I happened to have a Legendary Pokemon beside me.'_

"Trainers, take your positions!" the Referee called. Ash shrugged and walked to the green box, while Bruce proceeded to walk to the red one.

Numerous shouts of "The kid's gonna lose!" and "Poor kid" whispers were heard among the audience. Bruce laughed. "I'll go easy on you, kid!" He chuckled darkly. The audience started cheering again. Ash was getting a little nervous of having the audience against him.

Latios mentally growled. How dare they regard Ash so lowly! He was resisting the urge to use his psychic powers and give everyone a massive headache, oh that would be so nice! _"Latios!" _Latias mentally scolded her brother.

Latios chuckled. _"Sorry, I was getting carried away," _he replied sheepishly. Latios put a claw on Ash's shoulder, calming him down. Ash smiled at his invisible friend. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled, wanting to fight.

In the meantime, a large screen on the side of the field flashed and Ash and Bruce's faces appeared. A Circle appeared in the middle, divided into green and red segments. The segments started flashing in a circular pattern until the light stopped…in a green segment, meaning Ash went first. He growled slightly. The Referee raised his green flag. "Ash Ketchum chooses first, followed by Bruce Larkings!"

Ash smirked. "Pikachu, go!" Pikachu nodded and jumped from Ash's shoulder, landing in the battlefield. Pikachu's image appeared beside Ash's on the screen.

"_Pikachu, give that guy a nice beating,"_ Latios telepathed to the mouse.

Pikachu smirked. "Oh, I plan to."

Bruce grinned coldly. "Kid, you are so doomed. Rhydon, I choose you!" Bruce threw a Pokeball to the field. A massive gray pokemon appeared. It had a cream-colored drill-like horn on its snout and many spikes on its head. It had a long tail with skinny black stripes, a cream-colored stomach, and a ridged back. The Rhydon roared.

On the screen beside Bruce, Rhydon's image appeared. The referee nodded. "Begin!"

"Let's score a quick win, use Earthquake!" Bruce shouted. The drill Pokemon roared again and slammed a hand to the ground hard, sending powerful shockwaves across the battlefield.

"Pikachu, use your tail to jump!" Ash shouted. Pikachu followed the command and slammed his tail to the ground, using it to push himself up off the ground. The Earthquake passed harmlessly underneath Pikachu as he was now a dozen feet in the air. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash commanded, eager to see how Pikachu pulled off the move during a battle. As he descended back towards the ground, Pikachu's tail began to glow a bright white, becoming hard as steel.

"Rhydon, use Hyper Beam!" Bruce ordered.

"Take this you little rat!" Rhydon growled as he began gathering a large amount of volatile orange energy in his maw, releasing it in the form of a powerful beam.

"Pikachu, twist in midair!" Ash shouted, not wanting Pikachu to get hurt by such a direct attack.

Pikachu did a quick spin, causing the Hyper Beam to roughly miss him by a few inches. He swung his tail in a wide arc, the speed of the fall adding more force to it as he slammed it into Rhydon's head. The Rhydon shrieked pain as the super-effective attack took its toll on him, stumbling back a few meters.

Bruce growled. He knew his Rhydon had taken a lot of damage from that Iron Tail. The audience seemed to be impressed and started to cheer Ash. He smiled. "We aren't done yet!" Bruce started. "Rhydon, Horn Drill!" Rhydon grinned as the Horn adorning his nose began to spin. He began to run towards Pikachu.

"_Ash, don't let Pikachu get hit by that, if it makes contact, Pikachu is finished!"_ Latios warned Ash mentally.

"Pikachu, use Agility! Stay away from Rhydon until the Horn Drill ends!" Ash commanded. Pikachu nodded and started running around the battlefield at high speeds, his form blurring constantly from the sheer speed.

Rhydon looked around in confusion. Every time he charged at Pikachu, he would quickly disappear and reappear elsewhere. Soon, after a lot of failed attempts to hit Pikachu, his horn stopped spinning. Rhydon panted in tiredness, trying to recover his strength.

Ash smirked. "Time to end this! Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Power it up with your agility!" Ash ordered. Pikachu was still running around at high-speeds. Rhydon was turning his head from side to side quickly, trying to locate Pikachu. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see Pikachu slamming an Iron Tail into his gut, the Agility and momentum from his dash adding to the power Rhydon was actually flung back until he collided with the Fence behind his trainer, who stood there completely shocked. Rhydon's rock skin was actually cracked where the Iron Tail had struck, and he fainted.

The Referee nodded. "Winner is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Ash's and Pikachu's faces filled the entire screen. "Yeah!" Ash cheered, running to the field and hugging Pikachu. Latios smiled.

Bruce grunted in anger. He recalled Rhydon and stomped off the battlefield without uttering a single world. Latios laughed mentally. _'What a sore loser.'_

Latias laughed in her head. _"I couldn't agree more."_

Many of the spectators were shocked. They hadn't expected the kid to win. There were many whispers of "That Pikachu is strong" and "The kid's good" or "He's too young to be so tough!" Regardless, most of them cheered.

"Seems all that training really paid off, didn't it Pikachu?" Ash praised, happy that Pikachu had performed so well in the battle.

"Yeah, but my tail was sore most of the time, and Latias wouldn't even let me rest!" Pikachu complained. Ash laughed

"Well, let's go," Ash said happily, exiting the field. He was greeted by a double hug courtesy of Latias and Misty.

"Congratulations on winning your first battle," Misty said, glad that Ash hadn't done something stupid mid-battle.

"_Yeah,"_ Latias agreed telepathically, tilting her human-form's head in a smile.

Ash smiled back at them. "Thanks."

"Well, well, well Ashy-boy, which of those two is your girlfriend? Or are you dating both of them?" Gary taunted, walking over to them with a smirk on his face. Latias and Misty released Ash from the hug, looked at each other, and blushed furiously. Ash blinked in confusion. Brock cried in a lone corner at the fact that Ash got a double girl hug. Gary laughed. "That was a nice battle; you defeated a trainer despite your type disadvantage without even taking a single blow. You've become strong Ash, but you're still under me. I look forward to our battle, unless you're eliminated sooner." Gary laughed again and walked off.

Ash turned to the still blushing Latias and Misty. "What's a girlfriend? Is it a friend who is a girl? That means you two are my girlfriends, right?" he asked quite innocently. Pikachu facefaulted. Latios had to exert a lot of self-control in order to not burst out laughing and thus lose his invisibility. Brock kept crying.

Latias and Misty blushed even harder. Misty growled in annoyance, handed Togepi to Brock, and took out her mallet. Still blushing, she walked over to Ash slowly. "What did you call me?"

Ash blinked in confusion and gulped. _'Why is she going to hit me? Is calling a girl your girlfriend bad? Girlfriend has to mean a girl who is your friend, but why is Misty mad?'_ Ash thought desperately, wondering why Misty was acting like this. _'And why did Latias and Misty blush?'_

Sensing his thoughts, Latias decided to intervene. She stepped forward and stood in front of Ash. _"Wait Misty, he doesn't even know what a girlfriend is, give him a break," _Latias telepathed, probably saving Ash from a painful mallet-beating.

Misty sighed and nodded, agreeing that she probably overreacted. Ash sighed in relief. "So, what's a girlfriend?" Ash asked again, wanting to clear the topic and ensure he didn't get into trouble again.

Latias and Misty sighed. "You tell him," both girls said at the same time to each other. They sweatdropped.

Brock stepped forward eagerly. "I'll tell him!"

"NO!" Everyone roared. Nobody wanted to deal with a traumatized Ash. Misty grabbed Brock's ear and dragged him away.

Latias sighed. _'Guess I'll have to tell him about this, again.'_ She turned to look at Ash. She was a bit astonished that Ash was so clueless about love. _'Then again, I gave him a kiss and he looked like he didn't even know what was happening.'_ She smiled fondly at the memory of her feathery cheeks brushing against his own. It had been a little awkward since in her pokemon form her mouth was located underneath her pointed nose, but it was still a nice kiss.

"_YOU WHAT!"_ Latios screamed in Latias's mind.

Latias winced. _'I shouldn't have thought that so loudly.' _She grinned sheepishly. _"Don't worry brother; it was only on the cheek." _Knowing that he really didn't have much of a say in this, Latios dropped the matter, but made a mental note to watch Latias and Ash a bit closer.

Latias nudged Ash, getting his attention. _"Okay Ash, remember that I said you would understand some things when you were older? A 'girlfriend' fits in that category. Basically, when two people are in love with each other and they agree to be together, they become a couple. The girl is called a 'girlfriend' and the boy is called a 'boyfriend'. End of story, for now." _Ash nodded dumbly, sorting out what Latias said.

As they walked to the arena that would house Ash's second preliminary battle, Latios chuckled and floated closer to Latias. _"So, how was the kiss?"_ he asked teasingly. Latias would have squealed in surprise had her human form not been incapable of sound.

Latias smirked, getting an idea. _"See for yourself."_ With that, she used her psychic powers to 'pull' Latios's presence inside her mind and show him her memories of the kiss. Latios blushed, not expecting Latias to show it to him so directly. Latias laughed.

"I just had to ask…" Latios muttered.

After a few minutes of walking and about half an hour of waiting, Ash was finally called for his second preliminary battle. "Will Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Salvador from Cherrygrove City please report to field one?" the speakers blared.

Ash grinned eagerly. "That's my cue!"

He rushed forward and entered the battlefield. Soon another kid entered the field as well. He seemed about a year older than Ash with dark blue hair, a yellow shirt, and black shorts. "Hello, I'm Salvador!" He introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Ash, ready to battle?" Ash asked, eager to win his second battle. He stood on the green side, and Salvador on the red.

Ash and Salvador's photos appeared on the screen. The small red and green segmented wheel started spinning rapidly, until it stopped… on a red segment. The Referee nodded. "Salvador of Cherrygrove City chooses first, followed by Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

Salvador grabbed a Pokeball. "Furret, Let's go!" He tossed the Pokeball, releasing a long weasel-like pokemon with soft brown and white fur.

'_A Normal Type, no one I choose will really have an advantage and Pikachu's already battled.' _Ash thought. He grabbed a Pokeball. "Bayleef, your turn to battle!" Ash threw the Pokeball and released the Grass-type. On other occasions she would have tried to Body-Slam him affectionately, but decided not to as the moment was a serious one.

Furret and Bayleef's images appeared on the screen. "Begin!" The Referee shouted.

Salvador took the initiative and attacked first. "Furret, use Headbutt!" The small furry Pokemon charged at Bayleef at startling speeds.

"Bayleef, use Body Slam!" Ash shouted, knowing that Bayleef's superior weight was going to give her an advantage in close combat.

Salvador seemed to have noticed this as well. "Furret, get out of the way!" Furret complied and changed course, passing just beside Bayleef.

"Bayleef, spin around and use Razor Leaf!" Ash ordered, knowing that Furret's speed was going to be a big problem. Bayleed planted her feet on the ground and twisted her body, using the momentum to shake her head leaf with more force than usual. Several leaves were sent at Furret, flying through the air at high speeds.

"Furret, dodge!" Salvador shouted, seeing the power behind Bayleef's attack. He had to admit, that Bayleef seemed tough, but so was his Furret. Furret twisted his body gracefully, effortlessly dodging Bayleef's Razor leaf attack. Bayleef's jaw dropped slightly. "Furret, use Headbutt," Salvador commanded, having an idea on how to hit the Grass-Type.

'_If I counter with Body-Slam, Furret will simply move out of the way. Maybe I can tangle him up?' _Ash thought. "Bayleef, use Vine Whip!"

"Take this!" Bayleef shouted as her vines extended, heading directly at the Furret.

"Furret, use Double Team!" Salvador countered. Furret blurred as several copies of himself appeared, all surrounding Bayleef. Her vines passed harmlessly through one of the copies.

"You missed!" Furret taunted happily.

Bayleef looked around in confusion, wondering which of the at least thirty Furrets around her was the real one.

"Furret, use Swift!" Salvador called calmly, knowing that he had control of the battle.

Suddenly, star-shaped projectiles started hitting Bayleef from every direction. She cried out in pain at the multiple hits. Even if some of the throwing stars were also illusions from the Double Teams, it was still perfectly masking the real one's movements. It also didn't help that he was moving around throwing stars from every direction, making it impossible for Bayleef to locate him. Ash growled. "Bayleef, Razor Leaf!" he ordered. Bayleef swung the big leaf on her head sideways, launching a barrage of smaller Razor Leaves. They dispelled a few of the Double Teams, but none hit the real one.

Ash began to get desperate. If he didn't act fast, Bayleef would be defeated. _"Ash, calm down and think. You can detect the real Furret, just concentrate,"_ Latios telepathed helpfully. He was floating a foot behind Ash, masked by his invisibility.

'_What do you mean?'_ Ash thought.

"_Just concentrate and you'll find the real Furret. Feel the world around you and you'll see through Furret's illusion. Trust me and trust in yourself. I already found the real one, but let's see if you can do it,"_ Latios answered.

Ash decided to trust Latios and closed his eyes. He began to think, and feel the world around him, like Latios had told him to. He began to feel a strange sensation, like he could see everything around him, even with his eyes closed. It felt pretty much like when he had sensed Latias and Latios' location. But now he could sense _everything_ around him, not just the eon siblings. He began to sense how Furret was moving around attacking Bayleef, hidden in the illusions. All the copies felt… hollow to him. Yet one of them felt more alive, more solid, more _real_… "Bayleef, Vine Whip to your right!" Ash shouted.

Bayleef thought that Ash had lost it. He was ordering her to attack a specific point, and the attack would simply pass through it! But still, she decided to trust Ash. Between the constant hits she was taking, she extended a vine to her right side. She didn't get her hopes up much, expecting the attack to pass through the Furret. To her utter surprise, scratch that, to _everyone's_ surprise, Furret cried out in pain as Bayleef's vines struck him powerfully, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Bayleef's eyes widened in shock, her admiration of Ash skyrocketing. _'How did you know he was there?'_

"Hold him in place and use Solar Beam!" Ash shouted. Bayleef was interrupted from her thoughts by Ash's voice. She quickly coiled her vines around Furret's feet and midsection, effectively holding him in place. She began to absorb the sun's energy through her neck leaves. Surprisingly, the cuts she had gained from Furret's continuous swift attack started to vanish and heal as she absorbed the sun's rays, her entire body giving off a soft glow.

Brock was the first to realize what was happing. "She's using Synthesis!"

Ash looked confused. "Synthe-what?"

Latios sweatdropped. _"Synthesis is a Grass-Type move that is used for healing wounds by absorbing the sun's rays, pretty much like Recover. Bayleef must have learned it after taking so much damage and then absorbing the Sun's rays through Solar Beam."_

"Great job, Bayleef!" Ash praised. Bayleef blushed a little. "Now, finish that Furret!" Bayleef nodded and began to concentrate all the energy she had gathered into her mouth, releasing it in the form of a blinding white energy beam.

Furret began to squirm and struggle against Bayleef's vines, but it was to no avail. The Solar Beam struck him in the chest, causing a bright explosion of light. When the light dispersed, a defeated Furret was lying on the ground, his eyes turned into swirls.

"Furret is unable to Battle!" The Referee called, raising his flag. "Ash Ketchum is the winner!" The screen flashed Ash and Bayleef's photo.

"Yeah! That's two in a row!" Ash shouted happily, running forward and hugging Bayleef. She nuzzled him affectionately. "Congratulations, Bayleef!"

She smiled brightly. "Thanks!"

Ash's friends sprinted up to him. This time neither Latias nor Misty hugged him, not wanting another girlfriend mistake. "Ash, how did you detect the real Furret? You had your eyes closed the whole time," Brock asked.

Ash paused. "To be honest, I don't know exactly what I did."

Brock frowned. "Did a certain dragon tell you? Because if he did, that's cheating. I think."

Ash shook his head. "No, he told me to calm down and 'feel' where the real one was. I tried it and managed to find it."

"Impressive," Brock muttered.

"Let's watch other battles until my next one comes up. Its on the field beside this one," Ash suggested. They walked to field two next door and leaned against the fence, waiting for the current battle to finish and for his name to be called up.

"So, how have I done so far in my matches?" Ash asked, curious to hear what his friends thought of his battles.

Brock pursed his lips in thought. "So far, I'd say great. You won the first with Pikachu without taking a single hit, but in the second one you lost control for a while."

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

"_I think you were okay,"_ Latias commented telepathically. She was playing with one of her Bianca-form's locks to pass the time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the last battle ended and the speakers boomed, "Will Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Ann Katie of New Bark Town report to field two!"

Ash smiled. "Well, final battle, here I come!"

"Don't mess up," Misty muttered. Ash sweatdropped but entered the field anyway.

A young woman entered from the other end. She had long blonde hair and wore a long red skirt with a white blouse. She smiled and walked up to Ash. "Greetings young Trainer, I'm Katie. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ash nodded. "I'm Ash. Let's have a great battle!"

Both Katie and Ash's photos appeared in the screen. The segmented wheel started spinning and stopped on a red segment, meaning Katie would go first. Ash smiled. _'That's the second time in a row I have the advantage, even if I didn't get much out of it in the last battle.'_

Katie grabbed a pokeball. "Ariados, Go!" She hurled the Pokeball, releasing a rather large red spider Pokemon with yellow and purple segmented legs. The sight of the Ariados didn't really dredge up nice memories to Latias and Latios. Both resisted the urge to charge at the large spider and tear it apart.

"_Ash, you better give that Ariados a nice beating,"_ Latios commented telepathically.

"_I second that,"_ Latias added. Ash sweatdropped but chose his next Pokemon.

"Cyndaquil, I choose you!" The small fire mouse Pokemon appeared on the field.

"Ah, great now it's my turn…" Cyndaquil said lazily, yawning a little.

"Begin!" The Referee shouted.

Katie attacked first. Knowing that she had a severe disadvantage, she had to be cautious. "Ariados, use pin missile!" The Ariados opened its mouth and fired a barrage of small needles in rapid fire at Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!" Ash countered. The small Fire-type opened his mouth as his back flames came to life and launched a powerful stream of fire at the incoming needles. The needles were reduced to cinders in a matter of seconds, and the Flamethrower kept blasting towards Ariados.

Katie growled. "Ariados, Protect!" The Ariados was covered in a protective sphere of green energy, causing the Flamethrower to bounce off harmlessly.

"Cyndaquil, smokescreen!" Ash shouted, getting an idea. Cyndaquil opened his mouth and released a large plume of smoke, covering most of the Battlefield. "Now, finish this with Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil charged at the smoke and spun into a ball, his body covered in flames. Katie blinked in confusion. "Ariados, use Nightshade!"

The sounds of combat could be heard from inside the cloud, along with a few explosions, until everything got quiet. When the wind finally removed the smog, a defeated Ariados was lying on the field, Cyndaquil standing calmly a few feet away.

The Referee nodded. "Ariados is unable to Battle. Victory goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

"Yes!" Ash cheered, thrusting a fist to the air. "I'm in the next round!" Cyndaquil smiled and… fell asleep, probably to resume the nap he had been interrupted from. Ash sweatdropped_. 'How enthusiastic,'_ He recalled Cyndaquil back to his pokeball.

Katie returned her downed Ariados and bid Ash farewell. _"Congratulations Ash!"_ Latias cheered, hugging Ash. He smiled.

"So, ready for the second round?" Brock asked, happy that his friend had passed.

"You bet I am!" Ash shouted eagerly… until his stomach growled loudly. Everyone facefaulted.

"_Guess dinner comes first. Besides, it's still about two days until the start of the Second Round."_ Latios said. With that, the group headed to one of the many restaurants of Silver Town to grab a bite to eat, eagerly awaiting the second round of the tournament.

* * *

This Concludes Chapter 11, hope you all liked the preliminary battles… And Ash's cluelessness. **Review Please!**


	12. Putting Out The Fire!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

* * *

Three days had passed, and that was enough time to decide the fate of over two hundred trainers. The league never revealed the full number of trainer that participated from the start. There could even be over three hundred! But out of that unknown number, only forty-eight remained. One of them was our cap-wearing hero.

Currently, Ash and his friends were walking to the administrative area of the Silver Conference, where the matchups for the Second Round would be given out in a few minutes' time. "So Brock, how does the Second Round work?" Ash asked.

"Well, it's a block system. You see, only forty-eight trainers remain in the competition. These trainers are divided into sixteen groups of three trainers each. Out of each Block, only one trainer passes. Since there are just sixteen Blocks, the sixteen trainers that pass will go to the Final Rounds," Brock explained.

"Ah, but how do the battles occur inside the Blocks?" Ash asked.

"Each trainer fights the other two trainers in the Block in a three-on-three pokemon battle. If you win a battle you get three points, if you tie the battle you get just one point, and if you lose you don't get any points at all. The trainer with the most points in the group passes to the Finals," Brock answered.

"_That means__ that if Ash wins both battles he passes automatically because neither of the two other trainers will be able to catch up to him, right?"_ Latias asked telepathically. Larvitar, who was currently being carried in Latias' arms, wondered if Ash was going to use him in a battle.

"That's right," Brock answered her.

"Doesn't sound so hard," Ash commented.

"Don't get overconfident," Misty chided. "The Second Round has tougher trainers, since they all won their preliminary battles too."

Ash smiled. "I know."

After another few minutes of walking they entered the Pokemon Center. They noticed that there were a lot of trainers already inside, waiting for the announcement of the trainer blocks.

Soon, Mr. Goodshow appeared. "Greetings trainers, the blocks for the next round have been selected." He pointed at a large screen hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. "Here are the results!"

Sixteen boxes appeared on the screen. Each box had three pictures displayed inside, with the name of the trainer below the picture. Ash smirked. "Great, I'm in block A, the very first. My opponents are 'Macey' and 'Jackson.'"

"Look Ash," Brock noted, pointing to one of the far off Blocks. "There's Gary."

"I'm not really surprised he passed," Ash deadpanned. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Mr. Goodshow cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "All the matches will be held in Silver Stadium, on the neutral field. Today we will start with the first matches of the A, B, C, and D Blocks. Tomorrow we'll continue with the rest, and so on until all the battles are finished. Please go to the information desk to get your match schedules. Remember that you must have your team registered before each match. You can do that at the personal computers of your hotel rooms." With that said, Mr. Goodshow turned and left.

Ash walked over to the information desk Goodshow had indicated, his friends following him. The receptionist smiled upon seeing Ash walking up to her. "Hello, I assume you are going to check your match schedule, right?"

Ash nodded. Brock grinned and was about to sprint forward and beg for a date, but Latias restrained him psychically. This time her hold was so strong that Brock couldn't even blink or turn to look at her. _"No dates for you. Even if she was going to reject you anyway, at least this saves you the embarrassment." _Latias said telepathically.

Misty sighed. "I miss hitting him. Latias, you're too good at this."

Latias grinned. _"Don't worry, next time he's yours."_ Misty nodded eagerly. Brock paled, utterly helpless under Latias' mental hold.

"Your first match is today, in two hours, against Macey," the desk lady informed Ash.

Ash nodded. "Thanks, miss." He turned and walked away. Latias released Brock and the group resumed walking.

Brock turned to Latias. "Hey! How am I ever going to get a girlfriend with you and Misty doing this to me!" he demanded while trying not to sound too offensive. He knew that getting on a Legendaries' bad side was a bad idea, especially one that had a _very_ overprotective big brother. Brock felt a chill go down his spine when he thought of what Latios would do to him if he so much as yelled at Latias.

"_I won't let you get on any woman's nerves,"_ Latias replied coolly.

Brock sighed in despair. "What if a girl I try to get a date with actually likes me, but _you _interrupt it!"

Latias smiled. _"Don't worry, if you try to get a date with a girl that will accept your presence and actually like you, I won't intervene."_

Brock looked confused. "And how will you know that?"

Latias grinned. _"Remember, that's one of my abilities. I can sense the emotions of others. if I sense positive emotions coming from a girl you try to get a date with, I won't do anything."_ Brock looked relieved, but Latias continued. _"In the meantime… I'm watching you."_ He groaned.

"Is getting a girlfriend really that hard?" Ash asked curiously.

"Not really, depends on the situation, as well as both the boy and the girl," Misty answered.

"Ah. Think it'll be hard for me to get a girlfriend?" Ash asked curiously, hoping that he wouldn't have to go through all the problems Brock was having.

Both Latias and Misty paused and blushed a little before quickly resuming their walk. "Ash," Misty started. "You are just eleven, you shouldn't think about that too much right now. Wait a few more years."

Since Brock was a wannabe casanova with years of experience on love matters—or so he claimed-he easily noticed Latias' and Misty's reaction to Ash's question. _'Weird…' _Brock noted mentally. '_Are they _both_ interested in him? Aw man, that's so unfair!'_

"_Yeah_," Latias continued. "_Don't worry, I assure you you'll get a girlfriend easily, when the time comes."_

Ash lit up. "You think?"

"_Why not?"_Latias implied. She smiled at him. _'It probably won't be me, though…'_

Suddenly the group noticed a girl running up to them, a Vulpix at her side. She had a yellow shirt and long brown hair tied in two long pigtails. She stopped in front of the group. "Hello, my name is Macey of Mahogany Town, and I'm your opponent for the next match," She said, introducing herself.

Ash blinked a little at the straightforward approach, but was polite and returned the introduction. "Hi, I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, glad to meet you!"

"Mm, interesting." Macey muttered. She smiled. "It was a pleasure to meet you, see you for our match!" With that Macey turned and walked away, leaving the group quite confused.

"Okay," Ash said slowly. "What was that about?"

"_She wanted to see__ you before your match with her. She believes it's useful to get a good sense of her opponent before the match. That way she can plan her strategy better,"_ Latias informed him telepathically. Everyone turned to look at her. She blushed at the sudden attention.

"Did you read her mind? Latios said that was rude!" Ash reprimanded her.

Latias shook her head. _"I read her thoughts. I was curious as to why she came here. Remember that reading someone's mind and thoughts are two different things. Besides, it's possible to read just part of a mind, not the entire thing."_

"Ah, I keep forgetting that," Ash muttered, chuckling Mareepishly.

Latias sighed. She paused, sensing a familiar mind entering Silver Town. It was the presence of a friend she had longed to see again. Her face lit up in happiness and she dashed in the direction she sensed her friend was.

"Wait, Bianca!" Ash shouted, preparing to run after her. He paused and turned to his friends. "Could you two please go and check Macey's team, then register the team that would be best suited to fight her?" Ash asked.

Brock and Misty nodded. "Sure thing, Ash," Brock said.

"I wonder what's gotten into Latias now?" Misty wondered.

"I'll go after her and find out for myself." With that, Ash took off after Latias.

Misty and Brock chuckled at his antics. "Leave it to Ash to dump everything on us," Misty muttered.

Brock laughed. "Yeah, I know. At least that shows how much he trusts us." With that, they resumed walking back to the hotel, ready to do what Ash had asked them to.

* * *

Bianca smiled happily as she entered Silver Town. It had been a nice trip from Altomare, this was one of the rare occasions that the actually left her home island. Usually when she did it was for art trips, but this was a special occasion. She had come to see two of her greatest friends again. _'Altomare is really quiet without Latias and Latios,' _she thought, looking forward to the impending reunion.

She glanced around a few times, quickly noting the large activity in the street. She remembered that it was because the Second Round was starting soon. She began walking around, scanning the crowds. _'Now, how do I find Ash?'_

"_You could try asking me,"_ a clearly excited feminine voice ringed in Bianca's mind. Bianca jumped in surprise.

"Who said that?" Bianca questioned, looking around suspiciously and earning a few odd stares from bystanders. Though she had never heard that voice before, it carried an odd sense of familiarity and happiness in it. Normally she'd be terrified if she heard a voice in her head all of a sudden, but something told her that it meant no harm.

"_Hi! Bianca!"_ The voice chimed again happily in her mind. On instinct Bianca turned around and came face to face with a perfect carbon copy of herself holding a Larvitar. What the heck?

Latias followed Bianca's stare and blushed in embarrassment. She realized that in her happiness to see Bianca again she had forgotten to return Larvitar to Ash. She lowered Larvitar to the ground and tackle-hugged Bianca playfully. _"I've missed you!" _she chimed happily.

Bianca hugged her back, realizing that the voice in her mind had been Latias all along. She smiled at the fact that Latias had learned telepathy. "Hi Latias, I've missed you too. How have you been?" Bianca asked kindly, still hugging Latias. "It's good that you can use telepathy, now we can finally talk to each other."

Latias parted and smiled brightly. _"Yeah, I've been fine, everything has been okay."_ Larvitar watched the scene with interest, wondering why Latias was being so affectionate to this human, and wondered even more why Latias' human form looked identical to this human.

Bianca looked at Larvitar. "Who's this little cutie?" Bianca asked curiously, crouching down to pet Larvitar. Larvitar froze, not knowing how to react to Bianca, so he fell back on the only thing that occurred to him: to Screech.

Not wanting them to attract unnecessary attention, Latias decided to subtly intervene. "_Larvitar, don't screech, she's isn't going to hurt you, I promise," _She telepathed kindly, adding an extra-sweet tone to her plea.

Larvitar didn't know what to do. He could listen to the instincts literally yelling at him to Screech and get away from this stranger, or to Latias' kind words. He decided to listen to Latias, he knew he could trust the dragoness. When Bianca petted him, he flinched and closed his eyes, but didn't scream. Bianca frowned at his reaction. She turned to Latias. "What's wrong with him?"

Latias smiled sadly. _"He is traumatized about a past event. Ash and I are trying to help him."_

Bianca nodded. She stopped petting Larvirar and stood up. Larvirtar relaxed visibly. "So, have you and Latios learned something new?" Bianca asked curiously, remembering that Latias and Latios had been under a trainer's care for all this time. She wondered what kinds of cool techniques they had learned. "Any new flashy attacks or abilities?"

Latias picked up Larvitar, gently accommodating him in her arms, lifting most of his weight psychically. He was very heavy for an infant. She flashed Bianca a grin. _"Of course we have!"_

Bianca smiled back, happy to see one of Latias' contagious smiles again. "Finally!" A voice interrupted them. They turned to see Ash and Pikachu walking up to them. "Latias, you shouldn't go off on your own like that." Ash said while walking up to them, freezing when he realized there were two of them. He blinked in confusion, until he saw that one of them had a bag strapped to her side and a beret, and the other was carrying a Larvitar. "Oh, hi Bianca, long time no see."

Bianca smiled. "Hello to you too, Ash." She walked up until she was just in front of him. She gave him a _very_ fierce look. "You had better have taken good care of Latias and Latios, or else," she stated firmly. Ash gulped. He had to admit, Bianca was scary when she wanted to be, especially when it regarded the eon twins.

Ash took a small step back. "Of course I have! Why don't you ask Latias?"

Bianca turned to Latias. "So?"

Latias mentally giggled at Ash' thoughts regarding Bianca. _"Oh, he's been a real sweetheart to us. He takes care of us, and he and his friends have taught us a lot of useful things."_

Bianca smiled in relief, very happy to hear that her best friend was okay. She gave Pikachu a gentle rub on the head. "Hi, Pikachu." Pikachu returned the greeting with a squeal of delight. "So, how is life outside of Altomare?" Bianca asked Latias, wanting to hear what her best friend thought about finally leaving their home.

Latias smiled cheerily. _"Very fun. It's cool to visit all kinds of new places and stuff like that. And how has Altomare been? Since neither my Brother or I have felt anything from the Soul Dew, I assume its fine?" _

Bianca nodded. "Altomare has been peaceful and quiet. Lorenzo and I tend to the Garden every once in a while, and guess what! I won an art contest! Now maybe my paintings might be sold to more museums." Bianca finished, clearly excited at the last part.

Latias smiled. _"Congratulations! But what was your piece about?"_

Bianca smirked. "Our dear Guardians of Altomare, of course. Even if you two aren't there anymore, you still watch over Altomare through the Soul Dew, and I know you well enough to draw you perfectly without a reference. So, where's Latios?" she asked, looking around, guessing that maybe he was invisible nearby.

"He's in his Pokeball," Ash answered.

"Can I see him please?" Bianca asked eagerly.

Ash shook his head. "Let's go to my Hotel room, I don't think Latios would enjoy such a crowded place like this."

Bianca nodded, understanding that Latios wasn't one for huge crowds. They started walking back to the Hotel. They received a few weird stares due to Bianca and Latias' identical looks, but many passed them off as twins. "I assume you passed your preliminary matches?" Bianca asked.

Ash nodded. "Of course, my first Second Round match is soon. It's against a trainer called 'Macey.'"

"Oh, going to use Latios in it?" Bianca asked curiously, wonting to see Latios battle soon. She knew that Latios and Latios were not experienced battlers, and wondered how much that had changed after spending about a month with a Pokemon Trainer.

Ash shook his head. "No, I'm keeping Latios a secret because he'll be my secret weapon in the final rounds."

"Assuming you pass," Bianca muttered. Ash sweatdropped, getting annoyed that he always got comments like that. Latias mentally laughed.

"_He'll w__in, I'm sure of it,"_ Latias said telepathically. Ash smiled at her, glad that she always believed in him and always had confidence he would win.

The group reached the hotel room without anything particularly interesting happening. As Ash entered the room, he noted that Brock and Misty were still on the computer. _"Hello!"_ Latias chimed happily.

Both Brock and Misty turned to greet them, but were momentarily stymied when they noticed a second Latias. When they noticed the beret, they realized it was Bianca. "Hello Brock and Misty, it's been a while," Bianca greeted with a smile.

"Hello Bianca," Misty replied. "What brings you here?"

Bianca smiled. "Like I'd miss the chance to see Latios battling live, it's better than TV! Speaking of which, can I see him now?"

Ash chuckled as he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, proceeding to release Latios to the center of the room. _"Hey Bianca, long time no see,"_ Latios greeted telepathically. Bianca walked up to him with a smile on her and hugged Latios, clearly glad to see the eon dragon again.

"Hi Latios, how have you been?" Bianca asked as she parted from his arms.

"_Fine, it's been entertaining to travel,"_ Latios answered back.

As they caught up with each other, Ash walked up to Brock. "So, has my team been registered yet?"

Brock shook his head. "No, it's easy to choose a team to fight Macey, but look, she may have a trump card or something."

Ash peered over to the computer and saw his opponent's current team. There was a Quilava-probably her starter-a Rapidash, a Slugma, a Flareon, a Vulpix and an Electabuzz. "She has mostly fire Pokemon, and that Electabuzz must be to cover water types." Misty deduced.

Brock nodded. "I was planning on registering your Water-Types, but something's fishy. You don't have an all one type team without thinking of a way to cover their weaknesses."

"So," Misty started. "We were planning on registering Ground-Types as that covered all six of her Pokemon, but the problem is that you only have Phanpy."

"Why don't you register two Water-Types and Phanpy?" Ash asked. This seemed like the most obvious choice.

Brock looked back at the computer. "We already thought about that, but if Phanpy gets knocked out then the Electabuzz would be a problem, and it's obvious that if you used a Water-Type, she'll switch to it," Brock summarized. "It would be safer to have two Ground-Types, but you only have one."

"_Actually,"_ Latias cut in. _"Ash has two Ground-types."_

Everyone turned to her. Ash looked confused. "I do?"

She shifted her arms a bit, drawing everyone's attention to them… and Larvitar, who she was cradling. He paled. "Oh no," Latvitar muttered, attempting to shrink out of nervousness. Too bad that was impossible since he didn't know Minimize.

"Hey, that's right, and Larvitar should have a double advantage against Fire-types because he resists their attacks and can hit super-effectively! But…Larvitar hasn't been captured." Brock said. "But that can be changed easily enough."

Ash walked up to Larvitar. "What do you say Larvitar? You'll be traveling for a while with us, so…we might as well make it official and make you my Pokemon so nobody else can capture you by mistake," Ash offered.

Larvitar hummed in thought. After a few seconds, he quietly said, "Okay, I'll help you, and I'll do my best in the tournament."

Ash smiled. "Thanks Larvitar!" He held up a pokeball and gently tapped Larvitar with it. It popped open and a bright beam sucked Larvitar inside. It shook a few times, and then the button flashed red, indicating that Larvitar had been captured. "Yeah!" Ash shouted, thrusting the Pokeball into the air and posing dramatically. "I got…a Larvitar!"

"You've had that Larvitar for several days now," Pikachu pointed out.

Ash paused. "Well…yeah, but not _officially_." Pikachu rolled his eyes.

The computer beeped and the page refreshed itself, now adding the information on Ash's newest capture. "Okay, I'll register your team Ash. You'll use Squirtle, Larvitar and Phanpy," Brock said.

Ash frowned in confusion. "Squirtle?"

Brock nodded. "Yes, Officer Jenny brought Squirtle here. We encountered them on our way here, they should be at the main area now."

Ash's face lit up, clearly eager to see one of his oldest friends again. "That's great! I wonder what he's learned after so much time being a fire-fighter?"

Brock clicked a few things. "There Ash, your team has been registered. The match should begin shortly. Let's go." With that done, they left the room.

"_Ash, can I watch the battles outside of my Pokeball please?"_ Latios asked telepathically.

Ash shrugged. "Sure, just remain invisible."

Latios nodded gratefully. _"Okay, thanks."_

"You know Ash," Brock said. "Keeping Latios at your side in battles might be a good thing. He can help you by giving you hints about the opponent's Pokemon as well as calming you down in tough situations."

"Though I'm not entirely sure it's legal…" Misty said.

"Well, yeah," Ash agreed, recalling Latios' hints in his battles against Rhydon and Furret, as well as helping him calm down and think clearly on how to beat Furret. "Thanks Latios."

"_You're welcome Ash,"_ Latios replied telepathically. By that point, everyone had exited the room but him. He looked at the door and sweatdropped, noting that it was smaller than the ones in Altomare. He doubted that he'd ever fit through it. _"Close the door, I'll exit through the balcony."_

Ash laughed as he closed and locked the door. "Meet you at the entrance of the hotel!" Ash called through the door as the others headed for the elevators.

Latios calmly flew to the balcony, opening the glass door with his mind. He turned invisible and flew out, closing the door the same way he opened it.

A few minutes later, Ash and the group walked out of the hotel. Bianca looked around. "Where's Latios?" she asked.

Ash chuckled. "A few feet above us. I guess he doesn't want someone accidently bumping into him." That was a good idea, seeing as how so many people where walking to the Silver Stadium, ready to watch the first battles of the Silver Conference Second Round.

Bianca looked at him in surprise. "You can tell where he is?"

Ash nodded Mareepishly. "Yep, I can sense Latias' and Latios' location anywhere as long as they aren't too far away from me."

"Wow…" was Bianca's only response.

"Hey, I'm curious," Misty started. "Why did Latios go through all the trouble of flying out the balcony? Why didn't he simply turn human to pass the door, like Latias?"

Soon, everyone was wondering the same thing, minus Latias. "Well, Latios?" Ash asked.

"_Well,__ I don't like using human forms. I fell like a caged Pidgey,"_ Latios admitted telepathically.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"_He doesn't like this form because when we u__se it, it diminishes most of our powers, and he hates walking."_ Latias clarified telepathically, answering for her brother.

"Oh, okay," Misty said, satisfied with the answer.

"Ah, so it's because he's lazy," Bianca concluded.

Latios facefaulted. _"That's not what I meant!"_ The others laughed.

Soon an Officer Jenny walked up to them. "Hello Ash, long time no see!"

Ash blinked in confusion. "Which Jenny are you?"

Brock was between Jenny and Ash before anyone could react. "You can't tell!" Brock reprimanded Ash, who took a step back in fright at Brock's sudden fury. "She's the one you trusted Squirtle with!" He turned around. "And you, my dear Officer Jenny, have you come to confess your feelings to me? Don't worry, they're mutual," Brock flirted. Jenny blinked in confusion.

"_Your turn,"_ Latias said in Misty's mind. She nodded and grabbed Brock's ear, dragging him away painfully.

"Don't scar Jenny for life please," Misty muttered, annoyed. "The only feelings she has for you are disgust, which I'm pretty sure aren't mutual…at least, not on your part!"

"No…right now I'm too busy feeling pain to feel disgust for anyone!" Brock squealed in agony.

Ash decided to end the awkward situation. "So, you brought Squirtle to see me?"

Jenny nodded, handing Ash a Pokeball. "Here you go Ash. He's wanted to fight by your side again for quite some time now. I'll let you two catch up, I have to go to the stands if I want to get a nice seat before it's too late. See you in the stadium." Jenny saluted and walked away.

Ash looked at the Pokeball in his hand. He opened it and released the turtle Pokemon inside. As usual he was wearing his extra cool sunglasses that made everyone feel inferior and lame in comparison. Squirtle looked around and smiled when he saw Ash. "Hey there Ash, how have you been all this time?" Squirtle asked, glad to see Ash again after the fire-fighter competition that had separated them at least a hundred episodes—I mean, a few months ago.

Much to Squirtle's surprise, Ash answered him like he had understood him perfectly. "I've been well, thanks, enjoying the tournament. How's the Squirtle Squad?"

Squirtle looked at Ash skeptically. "Fine…we're now one of the best fire-fighter squads in the region!"

"That's great! I bet you've become quite famous," Ash exclaimed.

Squirtle blinked in amazement_. 'He understands me now? How?'_ the turtle Pokemon thought to himself. Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to greet him.

"Hey, good to see you again," Pikachu greeted.

"You too. Uh, what's with Ash understanding us?" Squirtle asked.

Pikachu sighed. "_Very_ long story. Basically Ash messed with some Legendary Pokemon, again. And almost got himself killed. _Again_! And as a result of the adventure, Ash got a few new abilities, such as being able to understand us."

"That's right, I can," Ash said, interrupting them. "Hey Squirtle, now that we can talk, there's something that's been bothering me ever since I first met you. What's with the Sunglasses?"

Squirtle smiled proudly. "First of all, they're called shades, and I wear them because they make me look cool!" Ash sweatdropped.

"_They are very cool, I admit,"_ Latias mused telepathically, an impressed tone in her voice.

"_Yeah, maybe I should get a pair, I'd look cool too,"_ Latios agreed.

"_You should, maybe you'd look decent__ then,"_ Latias teased playfully.

"_Hey!"_ Latios exclaimed. Everyone sweatdropped collectively at the eon twin's argument.

Squirtle tapped his head several times. "What's with the voices in my head?"

Pikachu laughed. "That's the Legendaries Ash caught. It's thanks to them that Ash understands Pokemon now."

Squirtle was impressed. "Ash got around to catching a Legendary? Nice…but where are they?"

Pikachu laughed again. "You'll meet them later in a less public place. They're Latias and her brother Latios."

"Okay voices in my head, meet you later," Squirtle joked. Latias giggled.

"Squirtle, for now return, we'll fight shortly," Ash said pointing the Pokeball at Squirtle and recalling him. Ash turned around and noticed that Misty was still dragging Brock around. He shivered and continued walking. "Hey Latias, I thought that you said your telepathy works only on friends and relatives. How did Squirtle hear you?" Ash asked.

"_Well, __he's a good friend of yours. I guess that's why,"_ Latias answered.

"Can that telepathy limitation be avoided?" Ash asked again.

"_I don't know. C__an it, brother?"_ Latias redirected the question to her brother.

"_Yes, but for us to telepathically communicate with anyone__, even if we have never met them before, we must be more experienced psychics. When our minds are stronger we'll be able to do that,"_ Latios answered. Latias and Ash nodded.

The group reached Silver Stadium. There were a lot of people outside, most of them slowly entering the large structure to watch the battles that were about to start. Ash and his group walked to the side entrance, the one that led toward the battlefield. A Guard was blocking the way. "Are you a trainer for the upcoming match?" The guard asked.

Ash nodded and showed his Pokedex, opening it and showing his Trainer registration. "They're with me," Ash said, motioning to his group of friends.

"Very well," the guard said. He stood aside and let Ash's group walk in.

They walked until they were almost at the end of the access tunnel. "Finally, the true competition begins now…" Ash said.

Abruptly, Latias burst into a shower of blue light, startling everyone as she regained her true form. Just as suddenly, she became invisible, like Latios. "Why the change?" Brock asked.

"_Since Bianca is going to come with us, I don't want weird comments regarding our identical looks,"_ Latias replied.

"Okay," Ash said, not really minding.

Ash stepped out into the arena to the cheers of the crowd. He looked at the stands, noticing that they were almost filled with screaming Pokemon fans. He walked to one side of the field, his companions going to sit at the bench behind the trainer box. Latias and Latios hovered at each side of him, masked to everyone by their invisibility.

"Well folks, Ash Ketchum has entered the field!" The unseen MC shouted. "His opponent, Macey should enter shortly too, and then the Second Round of the Silver Conference will begin!" The crowd cheered ecstatically.

Latios looked rather nervous. "_Ash, how am I supposed to fight with so many people around!"_

Pikachu beat Ash with his reply. "It's not that hard, all you have to do is ignore everyone, just concentrate on the Pokemon your opponent sends and nothing else."

Latias giggled and flew to Latios' side. She nudged him playfully. _"Nervous, are we?"_

"_Maybe,"_ Latios replied. Latias laughed.

Soon, Macey entered the battlefield from the other side of the stadium. She faced Ash, each trainer on their corresponding Box, ready to begin the fight.

"Today the Second Round begins!" The MC declared, voice booming all over the stadium. "The first match of Block A, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town versus Macey of Mahogany Town!"

A Referee stepped into the field. "This will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle. The winner is declared when the opponent's three Pokemon are unable to battle."

The Stadium's big screen flashed on, showing Ash's and Macey's pictures with three blank squares beside each of them. The same red and green wheel from the preliminaries appeared, Ash's color was red, Macey's was green. The wheel started flashing in a circular pattern. After a few laps, it stopped on a red segment, meaning that Ash went first. He smirked. _'I'll use a Ground-Type,' _he thought to himself.

"_At least it's not that hard to make a choice," _Latios telepathically mused.

'_Yeah,'_ Ash thought. He was by now used to this 'mental openness' he shared with Latias and Latios. It made him feel like he had a special bond with them.

"_Want me to read her mind and tell you her planned team?"_ Latios offered.

'_Isn't that cheating? And besides, the last time you read someone's mind, they ended in __paralysis for life,'_ Ash refused, wanting to win honorably. He reached for his first Pokemon, in this case Phanpy. He took the Pokeball from his belt.

"_Actually__, I can read minds without the target person even feeling anything, or even knowing I intruded into their minds,"_ Latios telepathed Mareepishly.

'_The__n why did you leave them crippled instead of reading their minds without harming them?'_ Ash asked.

Latios shrugged. _"Because I wanted them to suffer."_

Ash paled and pushed the matter aside for later. "Phanpy! I choose you!" he shouted, throwing the Pokeball to the field. The small blue elephant Pokemon appeared in the field, his image appearing in the first empty square besides Ash's photo.

"I'm up now Daddy? I'll do my best!" Phanpy cheered loudly.

Ash smiled. "I know you will."

Macey frowned. She'd expected a Water-Type. It didn't matter much, though, she was also experienced fighting Ground-Types. She grabbed a Pokeball and threw it. "Rapidash! Let's Go!" A large horse pokemon appeared, with fire replacing the mane, tail and the backside of the hooves. Rapidash's image appeared beside Macey, on the top square.

"_Ash, don't charge head-on with Rollout or T__akedown or any related attack, if you do, Phanpy will lose to Rapidash's superior physical strength,"_ Latios advised. Ash gave a small nod, acknowledging Latios' advice.

"The first battle of the Second Round will be Macey's Rapidash against Ash's Phanpy!" the MC announced.

The Referee raised both Flags. "Begin!"

"Rapidash, use Flamethrower!" Macey shouted. Rapidash quickly opened its mouth and released a powerful stream of fire at Phanpy.

"Phanpy use Rollout to Dodge!" Ash ordered, getting an idea. Phanpy complied and curled into a tight ball. He started rolling, effectively getting out of the way of the flames as they struck where Phanpy had been just a second before.

"_I thought I said not to use Rollout,"_ Latios said.

"_You said not to charge head-on, not use it to dodge," _Ash reminded him.

"_Ah, good point," _Latios conceded.

"Rapidash, use Fury attack!" Macey ordered. Rapidash started running at Phanpy at incredibly high speeds, lowering its horn until it was at Phanpy's height.

"Phanpy, stop rolling!" Ash ordered quickly. Phanpy stopped rolling like Ash had ordered, the momentum of the brake flinging Phanpy rather forcefully out of the way of Rapidash's attack. "Use Earthquake as you land!" Ash shouted.

Phanpy quickly adjusted himself in mid-flight and stomped on the ground hard as he landed, sending a powerful tremor across the battlefield. Rapidash did not have time to jump out of the way as the ground underneath it trembled, causing a lot of damage.

"Impressive folks, a great maneuver from Ash's Phanpy, and now Rapidash takes the damage!" the MC shouted. The crowd cheered at Ash's maneuver.

Macey growled slightly, not expecting such a counter. "Rapidash, Fire Blast!" Rapidash took in a rather large amount of air, then exhaled a potent five-pointed fire star directly at Phanpy.

"Phanpy, counter with Hidden Power!" Ash shouted. Phanpy complied and focused (with some effort considering he was still a kid that acted like he had a permanent sugar high) as a small glow surrounded him. Soon, several white spheres of energy began floating around him. He flung the spheres at the incoming Fire Blast, colliding and creating a rather large explosion, flinging back both Rapidash and Phanpy and covering the field in a thick layer of smoke.

"The collision between those two powerful attacks has covered the field in smoke!" the MC redundantly bellowed on the stadiums speakers.

Phanpy stared blankly around. Ash closed his eyes and tried to sense the world around him. He quickly detected Rapidash and Phanpy's locations inside the smoke. "Phanpy, use Hidden Power a little to the right!" Ash called.

"What!" Macey cried_. 'Why would he order such a specific attack with all that smoke? It will be impossible to land a hit!' _Much to her complete and utter surprise, she heard her Rapidash cry out in pain as several energy spheres struck it. Macey growled as the smoke cleared, revealing a panting Rapidash and a calm-looking Phanpy. Latios smiled, proud that Ash had easily detected the battling Pokemon without him telling him to do so in the first place.

"Impressive, Ash Ketchum was able to score a direct hit even with the smoke!" the MC declared unnecessarily. The crowd cheered.

Ash smirked. "Phanpy, let's finish this! Use Take Down!" Phanpy nodded and started running toward Rapidash.

"Rapidash, use Flame Wheel!" Macey countered. Rapidash quickly sprinted at the incoming Ground-Type while coating itself in a wheel of fire. Rapidash collided into Phanpy before Ash could react and change tactics, knocking the elephant away.

"Phanpy, are you alright!" Ash cried.

Phanpy stood up, panting. "I'm okay daddy, I can still fight!"

Rapidash blinked in confusion, but was distracted by Macey's next order. "Use Flamethrower!"

Rapidash exhaled a potent stream of fire. Noting that Phanpy couldn't get out of the way in time, Ash changed to a defensive tactic. "Phanpy, use Defense Curl!" Phanpy quickly turned into a compact ball as the flames washed all over him, his curl greatly reducing the damage he would have taken from the attack.

"Rapidash, finish this with Bounce!" Macey ordered. Rapidash complied and with a powerful push from its back legs, it was sent flying about ten meters in the air.

Ash looked up. "Phanpy, intercept that with a Hidden Power!" Phanpy nodded and began emitting a faint glow. Several energy spheres were sent upwards at the incoming Rapidash.

"Rapidash, add a Flame Wheel to the attack!" Macey countered. Rapidash immediately turned into a living fireball as its body was covered in a layer of flames. All of Phanpy's Hidden Power energy spheres were deflected by Rapidash's flame shield. Rapidash slammed into Phanpy hard, throwing up a large cloud of dust. When the dust settled, Rapidash was standing there, looking quite tired and panting heavily. Phanpy was lying on the ground with his eyes turned to swirls.

"Phanpy is unable to Battle!" The Referee called.

"Impressive folks, that powerful Bounce/Flame Wheel combo knocked Phanpy out!" The MC cried. On the main screen, Phanpy's icon turned into a black outline, denoting his defeat.

"_Ouch,"_ Latias commented telepathically as Ash returned Phanpy.

"You did a great job, Phanpy," Ash whispered to the Pokeball.

"_That Rapidash is tired,"_ Latias noted.

'_I know, better knock it out fast!'_ Ash thought as he grabbed his next pokeball. "Squirtle, you're up!" Ash shouted as he threw the Pokeball. The turtle pokemon appeared, still wearing his sunglasses. The Rapidash thought that Squirtle looked utterly cool with those shades and wondered how a pair of sunglasses would look on a Rapidash.

"Looks like Ash's next choice is a Squirlte, and a very cool one at that!"The MC shouted, his voice booming all across the stadium. On the screen, the second square filled with Squirtle's icon, minus the sunglasses, much to the turtle's irritation.

Macey grabbed a Pokeball. "Rapidash, return!" The Pokeball shot a thin red beam, returning Rapidash inside. She grabbed another one. "Electabuzz, you're next!" A large humanoid yellow and black-striped pokemon appeared.

"And seeing the Type disadvantage, Macey changes Pokemon," the MC narrated.

"Electabuzz, use Thun-" Macey started.

"Squirtle, return," Ash said, recalling Squirtle back into his Pokeball. He grabbed another Pokeball. "Larvitar, you're up next!" Ash shouted, throwing his Pokeball to the field.

"And Ash Ketchum also switches pokemon," the MC narrated again. Larvitar's icon appeared in the last square in Ash's side.

Macey looked surprised. She hadn't expected Ash to use two Ground-Types. "Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!" The Electabuzz generated a rather large amount of electricity in its antennas and fired it in the form of a bolt heading directly in Larvitar's direction, who didn't really care and didn't move an inch. The Thunderbolt struck him and didn't do anything.

"And unsurprisingly, that Thuderbolt has zero effect," The MC commented flatly.

Macey growled slightly. "Electabuzz, return." She recalled the Electric-Type back into its Pokeball and grabbed the same Pokeball from before. "Rapidash, go!" She hurled the Pokeball and the large fire horse Pokemon reappeared.

Ash smirked._ 'I still have the advantage."_

"Rapidash, use Flame Wheel!" Macey ordered. Rapidash started running toward Larvitar at high speeds while a cloak of fire surrounded it.

Ash covered his ears with his hands. Picking up his thoughts, Latias and Latios did the same. _"You should do it too,"_ Latias advised the confused group that was seated behind Ash. Trusting the she-dragon's advice, Brock, Pikachu, Misty and Bianca covered their ears as well.

"Larvitar, use Screech!" Ash shouted, pressing his hands against his ears tighter. Larvitar took a deep breath and gave one of his signature ultra-powerful Screeches. Rapidash stopped in its tracks and staggered, around shaking its head in pain as his eardrums were bombarded by the scream. And to make matters worse, a Rapidash can't cover its ears.

Larvitar stopped screeching and looked at the dazed Rapidash. "Larvitar, use Hidden Power!" Ash commanded. Larvitar gathered his power and unleashed several white energy spheres at the Rapidash, who couldn't even move because of the splitting headache it got from Larvitar's screech. The energy balls struck Rapidash's side and effectively knocked it out.

Thankfully, the Referee was well-prepared for a situation like this and thus had conveniently taken out a pair of earmuffs. "Rapidash is unable to continue battling! Larvitar is the winner!"

It took Macey about a minute to return Rapidash, mainly because she was busy recovering from the Screech. She returned her downed Rapidash, its image fading from the screen atop the stadium. She grabbed another Pokeball. "Quilava, you're next!" She hurled it, releasing her Quilava.

"Macey switches to Quilava. How will the match work out? Both trainers are tied with one Pokemon down," The MC announced dramatically.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" Macey ordered. Her Quilava started running toward Larvitar while his back flames erupted to the point that they covered the Fire-Type completely.

"Larvitar, use Dig," Ash commanded calmly. Larvitar took a small 'dive' toward the floor and dug, easily getting underground and avoiding Quilava's Flame Wheel. Soon after Quilava's Flame Wheel ended, Larvitar attacked him from below, giving Quilava a powerful punch to the gut.

Quilava stumbled back a bit. "Quilava, Flamethrower!" Macey ordered. Quilava recovered quickly from the blow and spat a large stream of fire directly at the Rock Skin pokemon.

"Larvitar, use Dig again!" Ash commanded. Larvitar burrowed underground again, dodging the stream of fire.

"When he comes out, dodge, Quilava!" Macey ordered, not wanting to take another super-effective attack. The second Larvitar emerged from underground to strike Quilava, the Volcano pokemon quickly dodged to the side, getting out of the way of Larvitar's attack.

"Larvitar, use Bite!" Ash shouted. Larvitar quickly twisted around and bit Quilava's arm, who cried in pain.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" Macey retorted, seeing that Quilava was in trouble. Quilava's body was covered in a thick layer of fire, along with Larvitar, but Larvitar's rock-like skin easily resisted the flames. If anything, it only made Larvitar bite even _harder_, drawing a small drop of blood from Quilava's arm.

"Larvitar, hang in there, use Hidden Power!" Ash shouted. Larvitar's body emitted a faint outline as several white spheres appeared, quickly attacking Quilava, sending the Volcano Pokemon flying from the sheer force of the attack.

"Oh no," Macey muttered. "Quilva return!" She held out her Pokeball and recalled Quilava after seeing that the Fire-Type had taken a very hard hit.

"And after some close combat, Macey decided to give Quilava a rest!" The MC shouted. The crowd cheered.

Macey grabbed a Pokeball. "Electabuzz, go!" Macey shouted, releasing the Electric-Type again.

"How will Macey deal with the tough situation she's in?" The MC wondered.

"Electabuzz, use Iron Tail!" Macey shouted. The Electric-Type rushed at Larvitar, its tail beginning to shine a bright white as it hardened to steel.

"Larvitar, catch it with Bite!" Ash shouted, getting an idea. Larvitar shrugged and just as Electabuzz swung around in an attempt to ram its tail against the Rock skin pokemon, Larvitar quickly opened his mouth and caught the tail easily. Since he was very heavy, the momentum was unable to push Larvitar back even an inch.

"Hit it with a Thunder Punch!" Macey ordered desperately. Electabuzz swung its fist as a large amount of electricity accumulated there. The Punch struck Larvitar dead in the chest… and did nothing. Again, Larvitar was too heavy for that, and the electricity didn't even faze Larvitar since he was a Ground-Type.

"Larvitar, Hidden Power!" Ash shouted. Larvitar once again glowed as several white energy spheres appeared beside him. He launched them at the Electabuzz at close range, and the Electric-Type couldn't even hope to dodge because its tail was still in Larvitar's mouth. The Hidden Power spheres collided forcefully against Electabuzz's chest, sending him flying back. "Finish this with Dig!" Larvitar nodded and quickly burrowed underground.

"Electabuzz, watch out!" Macey warned, but it was too late. By the time Electabuzz recovered from the close-range Hidden Power, it was struck from below by Larvitar. Electabuzz toppled over, his eyes two swirls.

The Referee nodded. "Electabuzz is unable to battle! Larvitar is the winner!"

"That is one strong Larvitar, folks," the MC commented, impressed by the Rock Skin Pokemon.

Macey growled. She reached for her remaining Pokeball. "Quilava, you're up!" The Volcano Pokemon was released again.

"Larvitar, return!" Ash shouted, recalling the Rock Skin Pokemon back to his Pokeball. "You were terrific," Ash praised, knowing that Larvitar could hear him. "Squirtle, you're next!" Ash shouted, once again releasing the cool turtle pokemon.

Squirtle appeared on the field, adjusting his shades slightly. Quilava blinked in confusion. "Those are some cool shades," the Quilava admitted. "Maybe I should get a pair."

"Thanks!" Squirtle said.

"Quilava, use Swift!" Macey shouted. Quilava snapped out of his admiration for Squirtle's shades and fired a volley of star shaped projectiles at him.

"Squirtle, use Bubble!" Ash shouted. Squirtle took a deep intake of air and fired a large amount of bubbles. The attacks collided and canceled each other out.

"Squirtle, use water gun!" Ash commanded. Squirtle complied and spat a powerful stream of water.

Macey saw that the attack was too fast to dodge, so she did the next best thing. "Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" Quilava coated himself in a layer of intense fire, but didn't charge at Squirtle. He stayed put, the Water Gun colliding with the flame shield and surprisingly vaporizing on contact with the flames.

Ash's eyes widened. "What!"

"_That's a very good defense,"_ Latios commented.

"And Macey's Quilava performs a very original defense maneuver!" The MC cried.

"Quilava, Flamethrower!" Macey ordered. Quilava opened his mouth and shot a strong jet of fire at Squirtle.

"Counter with Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Squitle shot another stream of water. The attacks collided and created a heavy cloud of steam.

"Great, now I can't see," Macey muttered.

"Water Gun!"

"What?" Macey got no time to issue an order to Quilava as he was struck in the chest by a powerful water stream. He barely got to his feet, panting heavily. _'Great, Quilava is tired, that Larvitar dealt too much damage,'_ Macey thought, desperately trying to find a way to turn the match around.

"Let's finish this, use Hydro Pump!" Ash shouted. Squirtle nodded and tucked all his limbs into his shell. He then expelled a large amount of water from his sides as he span directly towards the startled Quilava.

"Stop that Squirtle with Flamethrower!" Macey cried desperately. Quilava mustered what little strength he had left and fired a potent jet of fire, but the flames were extinguished as soon as they came in contact with Squirtle's attack. Squirtle rammed into Quilava _hard_, sending the Volcano Pokemon back from the sheer force of the blow and knocking him out.

"Quilava is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Squirtle!" The Referee shouted.

"And the attack was too much for Quilava. We have a winner, Ash Ketchum!" The MC shouted. The crowd cheered loudly.

Macey smiled as she returned her downed Pokemon back to the Pokeball._ 'That's one strong trainer,' _She thought with clear admiration. She walked to where Ash was jumping in joy with Squirtle. She held up her hand, getting Ash's attention. "Thanks for that impressive battle."

Ash smiled and returned the handshake. "You're welcome."

Macey turned around and walked to the exit, a small blush covering her cheeks. _'He's so strong,'_ she thought dreamily.

Ash soon walked to the exits, his friends following him. "So, that means I have three points now?" Ash asked, just to confirm.

"That's right," Brock answered.

"_Congratulations!"_ Latias chimed telepathically.

"I'm one step closer to winning the Silver Conference," Ash muttered proudly, a fiery look of determination in his reddish eyes.

* * *

Elsewhere…

Giovanni walked down the corridors of the top secret Team Rocket base under the Viridian Gym, about to check up on the progress of Team Rocket's next plan for world domination. He walked to a double door guarded by a pair of Team Rocket Grunts. They saluted and allowed Giovanni inside.

Giovanni had now entered a colossal laboratory. Shelves upon shelves of incredibly expensive equipment lined the walls. In the center of the lab were huge reactors of some sort. There were a least two dozens or so scientists working in the lab. One of them broke away from his current task and walked up to Giovanni.

"Greeting, Master Giovanni," Professor Sebastian greeted. He was one of Team Rocket's best inventors, a tall man with a bowl-shaped gray hair, big square glasses and a goatee. He was wearing a rather long lab coat.

Giovanni grunted and glanced around. "What's the progress on our ultimate weapon?"

Prof. Sebastian looked around. "Fairly well. However, we are experiencing some difficulties."

Giovanni looked visibly angered, but he tried to remain calm. "Difficulties, you say? Can the project even be created as per my specifications?"

Prof. Sebastian nodded. "Yes sir, it can. However, if I am to successfully design and create the base for this Project, I need more personnel, and funds."

Giovanni pondered this. "You want more personnel and funds? If I give you that, can the project be finished successfully and with no setbacks?"

Prof. Sebastian nodded without hesitation. "Yes, sir."

"This project is will be Team Rocket's greatest achievement," Giovanni muttered. "I'll assign Professor Napda and his scientist crew to help you."

"… Who's that?" Prof. Sebastian asked, clearly confused.

"I'm wondering the same thing…" Giovanni muttered.

"Don't you mean Prof. Namla?" Prof. Sebastian asked. He paused. "No, that's not it either…"

"You know who I mean. Tell him that he and his entire crew is to work in collaboration with you to achieve our greatest weapon," Giovanni ordered strictly.

"Very well," Prof. Sebastian said with a nod.

"Do you need more field agents?" Giovanni asked.

Prof. Sebastian shook his head. "No, I already command and receive support from Hun and Attila. With the addition of agents Annie and Oakley, I should be fine."

Giovanni sighed. "I already gave you ten percent of Team Rocket's funds. That's several million Pokedollars, and you still need more?"

Prof. Sebastian nodded. "While I'm making progress with the Project, it's proving to be extremely expensive. I have sent full reports on what I have used the funds on."

"I'll sigh an order to give the Project another ten percent of Team Rocket's funds. However, with Prof. Namba's-or whatever his name is-help and the funds, I expect this to be finished soon, or else," Giovanni said darkly. With that, he turned and walked out.

Sebastian smirked and returned to working on his project.

* * *

Hope you all like chapter 12 a lot!

What's team Rocket planning? Only I know!

Stay tuned until next chapter!


	13. Reaching The Finals

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

And here's Chapter 13! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The past day had been amazing. With his victory over Macey, Ash had taken a huge leap toward the Final Rounds of the Silver Conference. Now all he had to do was wait and the results of the battle between Macey and Jackson to know what he needed to do to pass.

Now in the early morning, we find our little group in the hotel room eating breakfast. The prospect of eating usually cheered Ash up, but…

Ash sighed in boredom. Yes, it had been fun to fight in the first battle of the Second Round, but he had never expected that fighting so soon meant he'd have to wait longer for his next battle. To make matters worse, the second battle of block 'A' was between Macey and Jackson, so he had to wait until all the other groups finished two of their battles before he could compete in the last one. This meant about a week or so without battles…what fun. "I fought yesterday and I want to battle again now!" Ash whined.

"Can't you learn how to wait!" Misty yelled in exasperation from the other side of the table. Latias laughed. She was eating Brock's special healthy poke-food with all the pokemon at the sides of the table.

"Is he like this all the time?" Bianca asked curiously.

"Yes," Misty replied flatly. Ash made no comment and preferred to keep eating.

Brock laughed. "Well, we can do something constructive with that time."

"Like what?" Ash asked.

"We could train your team a bit more," Brock suggested. Latios and Pikachu groaned while getting a sick feeling in their stomachs, which was bad considering they were also eating breakfast. Ash's ears perked up.

Latias laughed and floated to her brother. "What's up bro? Can't take a few days of training?"

"I hope you want to learn Steel Wing sis. It was torture." Latios muttered. Latias laughed again.

"Yeah," Pikachu agreed dryly, rubbing his tail unconsciously. While he did this, Larvitar stole a bit of food from his plate.

"But cheer up! Training might be tiring but at least it'll help us get better attacks and become stronger," Latias chided. Even if she didn't train as much as Latios did, she knew four attacks, but they were mostly for self-defense, which was something that she didn't really need considering that Latios would probably send anyone who dared hurt her to the emergency room of the hospital (If not to the grave…).

"I guess she's right there," Pikachu muttered, looking at the eon twins. Larvitar stole a bit more of Pikachu's food and quickly returned to his plate. "Wonder what move we'll have to learn now?" Pikachu turned back at his plate and resumed eating. He wondered why there was less food in it.

Brock ignored them because all he could hear were squeals and coos and Pikachu saying his name. He wondered how Ash could make words out from that. "Well Ash," Brock started. "I suggest various exercises to make them faster, stronger, and teach a new attack to those that need one," Brock finished.

Pikachu and Latios glared daggers at Brock, and Latios contemplated giving him a headache. Thankfully, Brock was too busy looking in his Pokemon Breeding book to notice. Larvitar took advantage of Pikachu's distraction and took another bite from the electric-type's plate.

Latias looked at them in amusement. "It's not _that_ bad."

Latios and Pikachu signed. "Like we have a choice," Latios muttered.

"So Brock, what will they learn?" Ash asked, mentally laughing at his pokemon's complaints.

"I remember that Latias and Latios mentioned something about needing to develop their minds a bit more to be able to freely speak telepathically to anyone. I was checking if there were any mental exercises for Psychics," Brock said, not taking his squinty eyes off the book. Seeing that the talk was about them, both eon dragons listened closely.

"_This sounds interesting,"_ Latias telepathed.

"Well, according to this, to help a psychic develop stronger minds, they can lift heavy things telekinetically. That way, said Psychic would gain greater mental capabilities and use Psychic attacks with much stronger force," Brock read from his book.

Latias looked confused. _"I thought meditating was a better way to do that." _This comment just reminded her how much she hated meditating, it was so boring.

"_Depends,"_ Latios answered her. _"Meditating helps make our minds more focused, concentrated, sharper and faster. Lifting heavy things helps makes our minds stronger and gives us more endurance, enabling us to use our psychic powers with greater ease and for longer periods of time without tiring so easily." _

Brock nodded. "So you two could do a combination of both. It will help improve your development as psychics."

Latias groaned. _"I hate meditating, it's so boring." _It was now Latios' turn to laugh. Larvitar tried to grab a bite from Latias' plate, but the plate moved out of his reach on its own. He shrugged and returned to his plate.

Brock continued. "As for the rest of your team Ash, we'll be helping them in their endurance, speed, or attack power, depending on the case."

Ash nodded. "Sure, let's go now!" he said eagerly, then paused. "But first let's finish breakfast!"

"You wouldn't be so eager if you were the one working out," Pikachu deadpanned.

"Hey! I always train alongside you guys!" Ash countered. Pikachu chuckled. With that the group finished breakfast…and Pikachu found himself puzzled that more than half his plate of food had apparently 'eaten itself.' Well, at least Larvitar got a double fill.

Soon, the group exited the hotel. Latios had to exit to through the balcony again. They started walking to the forest near Mt. Silver, their usual training place. From where they were, still in the main district of Silver Town, they could hear small explosions, the roar of the cheering crowd, and the MC's commentaries on the battles that were occurring right then.

It was the second day, so Blocks E, F, G, and H were having their first battles. Ash didn't care, because his next battle wasn't for a while. At least his team could get some training in before his next match. Soon they entered the forest, heading down the path to the same spot they had used before the Silver Conference began. It was a perfect place to train as it had a bit of every terrain, and it was also a large clearing.

As they headed toward the clearing they discussed what to teach Ash's team. "So, Latios and Latias are doing exercises to help make their minds stronger?" Ash began, glancing at Brock.

"Do I have to?" Latias whined. She was floating in her true form behind Bianca.

"Yes, sis," Latios said. "This is going to be useful for both of us."

Latias pouted but kept quiet. The tone in Latios' voice told her that she wasn't getting away from this. "What about the rest of my pokemon?" Ash asked.

Brock hummed in thought. "Pikachu is fine overall, so he's just doing some exercises to improve his reflexes and speed. Larvitar will learn a new attack, he really needs one. Squirtle, Cyndaquil and Bayleef don't need new attacks, but they should do different exercises for improving attack power," Brock finished.

Ash nodded. Pikachu sighed in relief. "At least there's no more rock lifting," He muttered.

Latios grimaced. "Say that to yourself. I and my sis are lifting rocks."

Pikachu laughed. "It doesn't sound so hard to lift rocks with your mind. I mean, all you have to do is think to lift them, right?" Pikachu queried, turning to look backwards at the eon siblings, who were hovering just behind Ash.

Latios sighed. "You have no idea how hard it is. It's just as tiring as doing it physically. I can easily lift light things without tiring me, like you for example, but lifting a medium-sized rock is harder as I have to exert more mental power to pick it up, and lifting a big boulder could really tire me out quickly. The heavier the object, the faster it tires me mentally," Latios informed the electric mouse.

"Ouch," Pikacku commented. At least his training didn't include rocks.

"You have no idea…" Latias muttered, not really looking forward to the training session.

Brock looked at Ash. "What are they arguing about now?"

"Latias and Latios don't want to lift rocks," Ash translated. Brock laughed, until Latios and Latias got annoyed and gave him headaches. Then he shut up.

Soon the group reached the clearing. Once inside, Ash proceeded to release his current Pokemon team. Bayleef tackled and nuzzled Ash affectionately, and it took a full minute to get the zealous Grass-Type off of Ash. Latias giggled. She wondered what it would be like if she tackled and nuzzled Ash so affectionately. _"Don't get any ideas…" _Latios said flatly in her mind. She giggled in reply. He sighed.

Brock looked over to them. "Okay, Latias and Latios, you should start your training," Brock started. Latias groaned, but followed Latios as they hovered to the rocky area of the clearing.

"Good luck!" Ash called to the retreating dragons.

"Thanks!" Latias called back.

"Who are they again?" Squirtle whispered to Pikachu.

"Those are the two Legendaries that travel with us now, Latias and Latios," Pikachu informed him. "They're the mental voices you heard earlier. They're psychics."

"Ahhh," the Water-Type muttered in comprehension.

"Okay, Larvitar," Brock started. "Let's work on Rock Smash today. That's an attack that will be useful for you, and if you can learn it, we'll teach you a Rock-type attack later." Larvitar as usual ignored him.

"Larvitar!" Ash scolded. Larvitar grunted and awaited instructions.

"To learn Rock Smash, all you have to do is make sure you can punch strong enough to tear rocks apart. After you master Rock Smash, we'll see if we can teach you Rock Tomb," Brock finished. Larvitar nodded and walked to the rocky area of the clearing, where Latias and Latios were. He looked at the eon twins, shrugged, and proceeded to beat the crap out of some rocks (Not that they had any).

Latias stared at the boulder in front of her. It was a little bigger than her. "Brother… do I really have to lift this? I've never tried lifting something_ this_ heavy! I don't even know if I can."

Latios chuckled. "It's not that hard sis, your mind is stronger than you think." He gently nuzzled her. "If you want, I'll go first." She smiled and nodded. Latios turned to a slightly larger boulder. This one was even larger than him. Latios' eyes shined a bright white as he exerted a large amount of his psychic powers. A faint blue outline surrounded the large rock as it slowly lifted off the ground. Latios gave a small pant, the rock was heavy! That and he wasn't used to lifting such heavy objects, but this was why he was doing this exercise: to help him lift heavier objects, and to gain superior mental endurance, as well as boost his psychic powers. Latios lowered the boulder back to the ground and gave another pant. "See sis, you can do it. Yours is smaller."

Latias nodded. "Okay bro!" Latias looked at her boulder. It was about half the size of the one Latios had lifted. Her eyes shined brightly as she exerted as much of her psychic abilities as she could. Slowly, the boulder was lifted off the ground. After keeping the boulder floating for a few seconds, she lowered it back with a thud. She grinned happily. "I did it!"

Latios smiled at his sister's enthusiasm. He always loved seeing her smiling and happy. Before he could react accordingly, she tackled him affectionately. He hugged her back gently. "See, I told you it was easy. But we have to continue."

"Brother, after we finish lifting rocks, what are we going to do?" Latias asked.

"Meditate. It will help us see how much we have improved. And it's pretty good training too," Latios answered. Knowing that she couldn't deny it, Latias nodded, and together, the eon twins continued their training.

Meanwhile, Brock was explaining what the others are going to do. "As for the rest of you," Brock said, turning to Bayleef, Squirtle, Cyndaquil and Pikachu. "We'll be working on the strength of your attacks, as well as your aim and ability to maintain attacks consecutively, except Pikachu, we're working on his speed and reflexes."

Pikachu shrugged, but then connected the dots. He paled and turned to Brock. "You aren't going to-"

"Sorry Pikachu," Brock started. "I can't understand you."

Pikachu sighed. "Why is it always me?"

Bayleef giggled. "You should start running," she said happily. Pikachu quickly took off with Quick Attack, and not a second too soon because a Flamethrower courtesy of Cyndaquil slammed into where he had just been standing. Squirtle proceeded to fire a series of quick Water Guns. With all his training as a fire-fighter, they were extremely precise. Pikachu barely dodged them, even using a combination of Agility and Quick Attack.

'_This is going to be hard, Squirtle's aim is almost perfect,'_ Pikachu thought.

Ash looked as Pikachu dodged Squirtle, Bayleef, and Cyndaquil's attacks. Apparently Pikachu was having a hard time evading Squitle's attacks. Ash chuckled. "I'll go check on Latias, Latios and Larvitar," he said to Brock.

Brock nodded. "Okay Ash, I'll keep an eye on Pikachu." Ash nodded and walked to where the eon dragons were.

Misty laughed as she saw Pikachu frenetically dodging the attacks. "He's going to end up tired." Brock nodded in agreement. The both took a seat and watched Pikachu and the others train. Pikachu jumped over a Solar Beam and then disappeared with a burst of speed from his Quick Attack, easily dodging a Flamethrower, but just as he landed he ran again using Agility, sidestepping Squirtle's Water Guns.

Bianca looked around and smiled. The view was quite beautiful; from the clearing she could see Mt. Silver and much of the surrounding forest. _'It's a good thing I brought these with me,'_ she thought as she took out a sketch book a pencil, and some coloring pencils. While the others were training, she was sure she could draw a good number of things. That and she was eager to show Latias and Latios how much her painting has improved. She took a seat at the base of one of the trees and looked for something to draw. In the distance she spotted Latias, Latios and Ash. She smiled, pictured the scene in her mind and began to draw.

Meanwhile, a few dozen feet from Bianca, Ash was looking at how Latias and Latios kept two rocks floating. "Amazing," Ash muttered. He turned to look at Larvitar and walked over to him. Larvitar had a rock about the same size as him in front of him. He took a step back and threw a punch at the rock with all his might. The rock cracked, but nothing else happened. Larvitar sighed. Ash smiled, crouched, and patted him on the back, letting him know he was there to help. Larvitar smiled and began again.

With that the hours passed by and the group kept training. All the pokemon knew that this training would be useful in future battles at the Silver Conference. The toughest battles were surely about to come. Latios and Latios spent most of the time rock-lifting and meditated for about half an hour. Their minds were a bit weary from exerting their psychic powers so much, but they were fine in other ways, and felt their psyches getting stronger.

Larvitar hadn't mastered Rock Smash despite Ash's cheers and encouragement. There was a time were Ash was about to try Rock Smash himself to cheer Larvitar up, but Latios stopped him, not wanting Ash to break his hand punching a rock.

As for Pikachu… he could barely stand after all his running around, so he was in his favorite resting spot, Ash's shoulder. Surprisingly, he had been hit a very small number of times.

For now the group was heading back to Silver Town, their training at an end for the day. The sky was already starting to darken a bit.

"Man… I'm beat," Pikachu complained. Ash smiled and patted Pikachu's head affectionately, earning him a comforted 'Chaaa'. Latias and Latios didn't seem physically tired, but everyone knew that their minds were probably exhausted.

Ash noticed Bianca looking at her sketchbook. "What's that?" Ash asked.

Bianca looked at her hands. "This? It's my sketchbook; I always have one with me."

Ash looked at her in surprise. "Did you draw all day?"

Bianca nodded. "Yes, feel free to look." She handed Ash her sketchbook, opened to the current page. Latias and Latios hovered closer to Ash and looked over his shoulders, clearly interested in Bianca's art.

Ash looked at the book. On the first page was a drawing depicting Latias and Latios hugging each other. Ash smiled. "Awww, they look so cute here."

Latias' jaw dropped. She was clearly impressed, and not just because of the scene her best friend had drawn. It was the quality of the picture that really stunned her. She had captured a nice moment in the drawing, it was so real, almost like a photo. All the colors were perfect, her and Latios' feather patterns and other small details, and both her and Latios' bodies were perfectly proportioned. She also captured the emotion quite well, in the drawing Latios had a gentle smile as he hugged her while Latias was, as usual, grinning broadly. "_Bianca…"_ Latias started. _"How did you get so good? Now I'll never catch up to you!"_

Bianca laughed. "Well, ever since you two left, I didn't have anything to do aside from tending to the garden every day. Don't worry you two; I've made sure it's still as lovely as ever. Anyway, I had a lot of free time, so I practiced my drawing."

Latias smiled. _"The drawing is beautiful. It's so real! Good work!"_ She praised, flying closely and nuzzling Bianca affectionately. Bianca giggled, getting tickled by Latias' very fine feathers.

Latias returned to hovering behind Ash as they kept looking at Bianca's drawings. There was one of Mt. Silver, one of Larvitar, another of Pikachu dodging a combination attack from Bayleef and Cyndaquil, and about three different drawings of Latias and Latios, all of perfect quality. Latias was the most impressed by her friend's technique.

Soon after, the group reached Silver Town. It was still clear, through the sky was a bit darkened. Ash turned to Brock. "So, are we going to train my team for the rest of the days I don't have battles?" Ash asked. Pikachu prayed that Brock would say no, but he already knew the answer.

"Yes Ash, we are going to train until you battle again, but we'll give your team a day off before the match so they can rest. We'll also alternate the Pokémon a bit so more of your team gets training. The only ones that are going everyday will be Latios and Pikachu," Brock answered. Pikachu wanted to use Thunder on the pervert, and Latios was contemplating giving him another headache.

"Wow, how is it that you're always prepared for these training schedule things?" Ash asked, impressed that Brock always knew who to train, what to train, and how to train.

"A pokemon breeder always has to be ready!" Brock said proudly. "Helping you is a great way to practice. That, and without my help you'd be toast."

"Hey! That's not true!" Ash yelled.

"I was joking, but it's always nice to help," Brock replied kindly.

"Thanks," Ash thanked him. Latias smiled. This was one of the only things she accepted Brock's presence for. If only he weren't a complete pervert…As they were walking, a pair of young girls passed beside them. Brock turned around to walk towards them… but came face to face with Latias' human form. Brock sighed and didn't make a comment.

Bianca laughed. She was actually enjoying her stay with Ash's group. It looked like Latias and Latios found an interesting group of trainers to be with. "I'll go get a drink, I'm thirsty," she said, walking to a nearby stand.

Ash took a few steps forward, taking in the sights of Silver Town, when suddenly Macey appeared in front of him. "Hi!"

Ash blinked in confusion at her sudden appearance, but still returned the greeting. "Uh, hello Macey."

Macey smiled broadly. "Thank you so much! A little after our battle, my dear Quilava evolved into a Typhlosion!"

Ash smiled. "Congratulations!"

"I wanted to ask you if you'd like to have dinner with me to celebrate!" Macey asked, a lovesick gleam in her eyes. The second she said that, for some_ unknown_ reason, Latias and Misty felt a sudden stab of jealousy. They glared at the girl, but she didn't notice.

"I don't know… I usually have dinner with my friends," Ash argued.

"Awww, come on! It'll be like a… _date_," Macey implied, grabbing Ash's hand. She looked into Ash's confused eyes, and immediately thought that he had the prettiest eyes in the world, those dark red eyes were so dreamy… well, at least to Macey.

Latias and Misty were fuming by now. Brock exploded in tears. He saw Latias and Misty's reactions of clear jealousy, meaning that they were interested in Ash, and not only that, but a girl was asking the younger trainer out on a date! Brock had always wanted that! _'How! What's Ash's secret to getting girls to like him? I must know!' _He began crying in a lonely corner.

Latios was highly amused by the feelings he was sensing in his sister's mind through their link. He chuckled. _'This is going to be good.'_ He was as usual floating a dozen feet in the air, but descended a little to get a closer look at the scene.

Ash blinked in confusion. "What's a date?" he asked. Pikachu facefaulted, causing him to fall off Ash's shoulder and hit the pavement with a loud thud.

Macey smiled mischievously. "Don't worry, I'll explain step-by-step what a date is…once we're on ours, that is."

Latias and Misty couldn't take it anymore. The look on their faces promised pain and agony for the younger trainer. Misty stepped forward and grabbed Ash's other hand. "Sorry, but Ash is… busy!" Misty declared.

Macey blinked. "And who are you? His girlfriend or what?"

Misty blanched and shook her head rapidly. "N-No, I'm his… coach during battles."

Macey glared back. "Then that doesn't give _you_ the right to interrupt his personal life!"

Both let go of a very confused Ash's hands and glared at each other… and failed to notice Latias pushing Ash and walking off with him. _"Hey Ash, why don't you go and order dinner for us at the hotel? That way it'll be there when we arrive, so we can eat sooner."_

Ash's stomach growled. He grinned. "Great idea! Thanks." He took off running toward the hotel, completely oblivious to what was happening in his wake.

"That was a good one," Pikachu commented to Latios, who was hovering behind him invisibly.

"_I agree, this is getting good,"_Latios telepathed in reply.

Latias walked to the still glaring Macey and Misty. She smiled and waited for them to notice her. When they did, they looked around in confusion. "Where's Ash?" Macey asked, glaring at the Bianca-disguised Latias. "What did you do to him? Are you his girlfriend now or what!"

Latias blushed a bright red. She quickly shook her head. Macey looked around and sighed. "Too bad, Ash left already. Anyway, I'll see him later. I have to go." With that said, Macey turned around and walked away.

Latias and Misty sighed in relief. They glanced at each other. "Why did you react like that?" they questioned each other, one vocally and the other telepathically. They stared into each other's eyes, both filled with suspicion.

They couldn't make any further accusations because Brock appeared beside them. "Why!" he yelled at them. Latias and Misty started at him in confusion. "What's Ash's secret! That girl wanted a formal date with him and you two are obviously interested in him! Why!"

The second Brock finished that sentence; Misty took out her mallet and pulled it back. Latias' eyes glowed a bright white as she powered Misty's swing with a Psychic attack. The force of the blow was enough to send Brock flying Team Rocket-style. A splash could be heard soon after. _"He landed in the lake,"_ Latias mused telepathically. Misty shrugged. She looked at her mallet and wondered how could she have swung so hard. Then she remembered seeing Latias' eyes flash. She guessed Latias had lent a hand, or claw…

"Hello, did I miss anything?" Bianca asked casually as she walked back to the group, holding a can of soda. "Where are Ash and Brock?"

Misty and Latias looked at each other and shrugged, trying not to laugh. "I'm hungry, let's go to the hotel," Misty said.

"_Yeah,"_ Latias agreed. With that, they walked toward the hotel. Bianca looked at them oddly and followed after a moment.

Pikachu and Latios laughed themselves silly, though Latios did it a few hundred feet in the air so no one could hear him. After he finally regained his breath, he descended until he was above Pikachu. "Let's go back to the hotel too," the mouse muttered, walking after Misty, Latias and Bianca.

"_Sure,"_ Latios agreed. He followed, hovering above the Electric-type.

Pikachu glanced up. "Latios?"

"_Yes?"_ Latios replied.

"What about Brock?" Pikachu asked.

"_He'll be fine,__"_ Latios said.

"You should go and get him out of the lake you know, he was hit rather hard. If he didn't break anything he's probably in too much pain to move," Pikachu stated.

Latios sighed. _"Good point, I better make sure he doesn't drown. See you at the hotel."_

"Okay," Pikachu replied. He took off for the hotel. Latios flew to the lake to retrieve Brock.

The group later reunited at the hotel and had a really nice dinner. The Pokemon enjoyed the meal the most, as they were quite tired from all the training. Thankfully, after a quick peek at his thoughts, Latias found out that Ash thought that all that Macey wanted was to thank him for her Quilava's evolution. He didn't have a clue that Macey wanted him as a boyfriend. For once, Latias blessed Ash's cluelessness.

Brock barely talked through the whole meal because he was in too much pain to do so. Thankfully he hadn't broken anything. Latios had had to drag him psychically out of the lake because if he hadn't Brock wouldn't have got to shore himself, and he was _still _questioning Ash's 'secret to attracting girls.' The only time he tried to ask Ash about that topic, he was driven off by a subtle glare from Latias that clearly said 'Pervert him and I will kill you'.

Soon after that, the group went to sleep.

* * *

As the days passed, Ash kept on training his Pokemon team. He alternated every day so that most of his pokemon got some decent training. The only ones that were always present were Latias, Latios, Pikachu and Larvitar. By the end of the week, the little Rock and Ground-type had learned both Rock Smash and Rock Tomb, and Latias' and Latios' psychic abilities had improved greatly. Now they could both lift large boulders with ease for long periods of time. They were very proud of themselves.

They only day they hadn't trained much was the day they went to Silver Stadium to watch the battle between Macey and Jackson. It had been a really intense match, but at the end, Macey's Typhlosion proved to be too much for Jackson, earning Macey her first Second Round victory.

This was very good for Ash. It meant that with him and Macey tied at the lead with three points, all Ash had to do was either defeat or tie with Jackson to pass to the Final Round, and as usual he was very confident he would win.

On the last day before Ash's battle with Jackson, everyone enjoyed themselves in Silver Town. The pokemon had a 'day off' so they could be at their best when the battle came. Latias, Misty and Bianca had gone shopping (Ash wondered what was so special about that, but Latias had said it was a girl thing). Latios quietly followed them, most likely keeping an eye on his sister.

Brock and Ash registered Ash's team for the match and talked about what Ash should do to battle better. They also looked at Gary's record. Both were impressed by the sheer number of Pokemon Gary had. They later went to the souvenir area to see if there was anything interesting for sale. Brock was itching to talk to Ash about girls, but before Latias left, she had told Brock that when she returned she was going to peek at Ash's thoughts and if she found any memory of a talk with him about that, Brock would suffer, so he didn't push his luck.

After everyone returned and had a nice night's rest, the day of Ash's second battle finally arrived. After a quick breakfast, Ash set out for the stadium. Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the Silver Stadium battle arena. "Your trainer ID, please?" the guard said. Ash took out his Pokedex and showed it to the guard. After verifying that Ash was registered for the next battle, the guard moved aside and let Ash pass.

"They're with me," Ash told the guard, motioning to his friends. The guard nodded and allowed them to pass as well. Latias was in her Pokémon form, invisible.

Once the group entered, Ash stood at the trainer's box, Latias and Latios beside him, as usual, masked by their invisibility. His friends took seats at the bench behind Ash. Ash looked across the field and noted that Jackson was already present. He had a green shirt with white shorts and clear brown hair with a strange haircut.

"Ash Ketchum has arrived to the field!" the MC boomed over the speakers. "Block 'A' is currently led by Ash and Macey with three points each. A victory for Ash or a tie will make him the winner of Block 'A'!" The MC informed the crowd. They cheered loudly, expecting another great battle.

The referee nodded to both trainers. "This will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle. The winner will be declared when a trainer losses all three Pokémon. Substitutions are allowed to both trainers."

On the huge screen atop the stadium, Ash's and Jackson's photos appeared, along with the usual spinning red and green circle. Ash was on the red side and Jackson on the green. The segmented wheel stopped spinning and landed on a green segment, meaning that Jackson went first, a good thing for Ash.

"Well, looks like first move is for Jackson of New Bark Town!" the MC announced.

Jackson looked in Ash's direction. "Let's have a great battle!" he called. Ash nodded back. Jackson grabbed a Pokeball. "Golduck! I choose you!" He hurled the Pokeball, releasing a mid-size blue duck like Pokémon. On the screen atop the stadium, Golduck's icon appeared in the first slot for Jackson's team.

Ash smirked. "Pikachu, let's go!" Pikachu nodded and hopped off Ash's shoulder, entering the battlefield. Pikachu's icon also appeared on the screen, in the first slot on Ash's side.

"The first battle will be Jackson's Golduck versus Ash's Pikachu," The MC said unnecessarily.

The Referee nodded. "Begin!"

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted quickly. Pikachu's cheeks started releasing sparks and fired a large bolt of electricity at the Golduck.

"Golduck, turn that attack back with Psychic!" Jackson ordered. Golduck's eyes glowed a little as it tried to grab Pikachu's thunderbolt. Surprisingly, the attack broke the Psychic hold and kept coming. "Shield with protect!" Jackson cried, improvising on the fly. Golduck was quickly surrounded by a green shield, effectively blocking the electric attack.

'_Why did that Psychic attack fail__ to block Pikachu's Thunderbolt?'_ Ash thought.

"_That __Psychic attack was too weak, and Pikachu's attack too strong. Besides, a Golduck is no Psychic-Type, so any Psychic attacks from it are pretty weak. Latias or I could have turned that Thunderbolt around,"_ Latios answered telepathically.

'_Thanks,'_ Ash thought. "Quick attack!" he shouted. Pikachu began running at an impressive speed, and just as Golduck's Protect shield dropped, Pikachu crashed into his chest. The Golduck cried in pain, the force temporarily knocking the wind out of it and causing it to stagger back a few steps.

"Ouch, that was a rather hard blow!" The MC cried dramatically.

"Golduck, hang in there! Use Hydro Pump!" Jackson countered. Golduck quickly opened its beak and fire a potent blast of water at Pikachu.

"Get out of the way with Agility!" Ash ordered. Pikachu suddenly disappeared from view, evading the Hydro Pump. "Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, wanting to take advantage of Pikachu's speed burst.

"Golduck, let's get up close, use Scratch!" Jackson ordered. Golduck brought up its arms, blocking Pikachu's Iron Tail swing. Golduck did a horizontal swipe, but Pikachu quickly twisted his body, effectively avoiding the Scratch. He continued the spin, hitting Golduck's chest with his still glowing tail.

"Impressive show of Close combat!" The MC announced excitedly. The crowd cheered.

"Thunderbolt!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked and a powerful bolt of electricity was fired directly at Golduck, who was too close to move out of the way. Jackson was not out yet, though.

"Amnesia!" Jackson ordered frantically. A completely blank look appeared on Golduck's face as he was hit by the electricity, sending hundreds of volts across its body. Once the electroshock ended, Ash was surprised to find his attack hadn't done as much damage as he had expected.

"What the…shouldn't that electric attack have done more?" Ash asked in confusion.

"_Amnesia is an attack that__, by making the user forget things, raises its defense against special attacks,"_ Latias informed him.

Ash got even more confused._ 'How does forgetting things make your defense against special attacks stronger?'_

"…" Latias blinked. _'I have no idea, Brother?'_

"_Honestly, I don't know…"_ Latios replied telepathically.

They were interrupted by Jackson's voice. "Ice Beam!" he shouted.

Golduck opened its beak and a power blast of freezing energy was fired, causing the temperature to drop a few degrees. Latias and Latios flew back a few feet, not wanting the cold to make them lose their concentration and become visible.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick attack!" Ash cried. Pikachu began running around, easily dodging the Ice beams.

"That's some acrobatic dodging folks!" The MC shouted, astounded.

'_Squirtle__'s Water Guns are harder to evade,'_ Pikachu thought smugly as he ran back and forth, easily dodging the beams. Soon, Golduck ran out of power and closed its beak with a small pant.

"Now, use Iron Tail on the ice!" Ash shouted. Pikachu's tail glowed a bright white as he charged at one of the ice trails that had formed from the Ice Beam. With a powerful swing of his tail, Pikachu shattered the ice, sending a barrage of ice shards at Golduck. The Water-type had no time to dodge as its body was hit by the frozen barrage.

"That's an impressive way to turn an opponent's attack against him!" The MC shouted. The crowd cheered. In the stands, Macey had hearts over her eyes.

"Pikachu, finish this with Thunder!" Ash shouted. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled violently as a colossal column of electricity was sent toward the Water-Type, who was too stunned by the ice needles to get out of the way. The blue duck cried in pain as a tremendous amount of electricity coursed through its body. Unable to keep up with the damage, the Water-Type fainted.

"Golduck is unable to continue battling!" The Referee shouted. Jackson sighed and returned his downed Pokémon. On the screen, Golduck's image turned gray, denoting its defeat.

Jackson grabbed another Pokeball. "Magneton, you're up!" Jackson threw the Pokeball and a mid-sized Pokémon appeared. It looked like three Magnemite locked together. However, the color of the magnet ends was black and gray instead of the usual blue and red, indicating that this was a shiny Pokémon. On the screen, Magneton's icon appeared on the second slot in Jackson's side.

Ash was just about to continue battling with Pikachu until Latios interrupted him. _"Ash, switch Pikachu out," _he suggested telepathically.

Ash paused. _'Why?'_

"_Magneton is__ a Steel and Electric Type. Pikachu only has Normal, Electric and Steel-Type Attacks. None of them do much damage to a pokemon with Magneton's type combination,"_ Latios informed him.

'_You're right, thanks Latios__,'_ Ash said.

'_You're welcome,'_ Latios replied.

"Pikachu, return!" he shouted. Pikachu gave him a puzzled look. "Just get back here, okay?" Pikachu shrugged and obeyed. _'Magneton is a Steel-Type, so…"_ He grabbed a Pokeball. "Cyndaquil, I choose you!" The small Fire-Type appeared… and yawned. "Now's not the time for a nap!" Ash yelled.

"Alright…" Cyndaquil muttered. Meanwhile, the orange surrounding Pikachu faded, but his icon remained, indicating he was still a battle-capable Pokémon. Cyndaquil's icon appeared on the second slot.

"And Ash makes an intelligent switch!" The MC Bellowed.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. The flames on Cyndaquil's back burst to life as he fired a large stream of fire at the magnet Pokémon.

"Magneton, counter with thunderbolt!" Jackson said. Magneton's magnets began to emit a buzzing sound as they all fired a large cluster of electricity at the incoming flame stream. The attacks collided and exploded.

"Thunder!" Jackson shouted. Out of the smoke a colossal lighting bolt was fired at Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel to protect yourself!" Ash ordered, recalling Macey's maneuver. The flames on Cyndaquil's back lit up vividly and expelled a large amount of fire, covering Cyndaquil completely. The Thunder struck the flame shield but was unable to penetrate it, the intensity of the flames successfully stopping the attack. After Cyndaquil had successfully shielded himself in the flames, he charged at the Magneton.

"And Cyndaquil is charging at Magneton. That Fire-Type attack can be dangerous…" The MC muttered dramatically.

"Magneton, use Magnet Raise!" Jackson shouted. Several magnetic rings appeared around Magneton and it elevated off the ground. Cyndaquil jumped to compensate, but he was unable to reach it. "Now, use SonicBoom!" Jackson commanded. Magneton started emitting a faint white glow, and then a loud metallic clang was heard as a shockwave was fired at Cyndaquil. The small Fire-Type was unable to react as the shockwaves struck him, knocking him back.

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Cyndaquil opened his mouth and fired a large stream of fire directly at Magneton.

"Dodge it!" Jackson called. Magneton descended until he was at ground level, causing Cyndaquil's attack to fly overhead. Jackson smirked. _'Now's my chance!' _"Thunder wave!" The magnets around Magneton's body started emitting blue lightning that hit Cyndaqul, giving him a small shock and causing him to feel a little… numb. He had just gotten paralyzed. "Now, finish this with Try-Attack!"

The top and two bottom screws of Magneton's body started emitting various forms of energy. The top one started gathering electricity, the bottom left one generated cold energy, and the one to the right started gathering heat energy. A thin white line joined all three spheres and the energies started mixing, forming a bright white triangle with a different energy ball on each tip. The triangle was fired directly at Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, counter with Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, knowing that the incoming attack was powerful. Cyndaquil tried to move, but a quick jolt of electricity shot through his body. He was still paralyzed. With no way to dodge or counter, Cyndaquil braced himself for impact.

"Cyndaquil can't move. This could be the end!" The MC cried dramatically.

Cyndaquil was struck by the attack, the impact sending him flying into the wall of the arena. The attack dissipated in a triangular pattern and Cyndaquil fell to the ground, his eyes turned into swirls. "Cyndaquil is unable to continue battling!" The Referee called. Up on the screen, Cyndaquil's icon faded completely.

Ash growled slightly as he returned Cyndaquil and grabbed his next Pokeball. "Bulbasaur, let's go!" He threw the pokeball and a small four-legged Pokémon with a bulb on his back appeared. On the top of the screen, Bulbasaur's icon appeared.

"And after a surprising defeat for his Cyndaquil, Ash's next choice is a Bulbasaur!" the MC announced the obvious.

"Be careful Bulbasaur, that Magneton is tough!" Ash warned.

Bulbasaur nodded. "Anything I should watch for?" the seed pokemon asked. He already knew that Ash could understand Pokémon, as the previous day he had been called before his registration and thus got the chance to talk to Ash a bit.

"Watch out for Thunder Wave. Magneton will try to paralyze you and then finish you with Tri-Attack," Ash warned.

Bulbasaur nodded and faced Magneton. Jackson chuckled. "Let's make a quick win. Hit that Bulbasaur with Thunder Wave!" Magneton's magnets buzzed as they emitted the same odd blue electricity that had paralyzed Cyndaquil.

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle!" Ash shouted, getting an idea.

Bulbasaur was confused as to why Ash would want him to charge at the Thunder Wave, especially when Ash had warned him to be careful with it, but as usual he trusted Ash and began running directly at Magneton and the Thunder wave. "Jump with the help of Vine Whip!" Ash shouted.

Bulbasaur smirked, getting Ash's plan. He extended his vines from the base of the bulb on his back and hit the floor hard with them, using them to jump over the Thunder Wave. "Now, Use Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur adjusted himself in midair as a seed appeared on the tip of his bulb.

"Oh no you don't! Thunder!" Jackson shouted, Magneton aimed and fired a large electric blast at the airborne Bulbasaur. Just before the thunder struck, Bulbasaur fired his Leech Seed. The small seed flew upward, evading the Thunder and landing on one of Magneton's screws. The Thunder struck Bulbasaur, knocking him to the ground. Fortunately, electricity didn't damage Grass-Types that much, so he was okay.

The seed in Magneton's top screw opened and several vines sprouted and wrapped around Magneton, glowing as they drained its energy. It sagged, losing power. "This is a very intense battle folks!" The MC commented excitedly. The crowd cheered.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded. The Grass-Type nodded and fired several sharp spinning leaves at the Magnet Pokémon.

"Magneton, use discharge!" Jackson shouted. Magneton began emitting an uncontrollable buzz as it fired electric bolts in all directions. Most of the Razor leafs were destroyed on contact. Bulbasaur began to dodge frantically as the lighting bolts struck everywhere, some managing to strike him. He panted tiredly. This was a strong Magneton, even with the Leech Seed, it wasn't going down.

"Solar Beam!" Ash shouted once Magneton's Discharge attack had stopped. Bulbasaur began to draw the Sun's rays into the bulb on his back.

"Magneton, Tri Attack!" Jackson countered. Magneton began charging the same attack that had knocked out Cyndaquil.

"Looks like this will be a very powerful clash! Everyone get ready!" The MC warned excitedly.

After a minute of charging their attacks, with a loud battle cry Bulbasaur fired the Solar Beam, a bright white energy beam that shined with the sun's power, and Magneton buzzed and fired the triangle-shaped attack. The attacks clashed in the center of the arena and released a very powerful explosion. Everyone in the stadium was pushed to their seats as the shockwaves from the blast reached them.

"What a powerful clash!" The MC cried. The explosion petered out, leaving a cloud of smoke. When the smoke finally cleared, both Magneton and Bulbasaur were knocked out.

The Referee nodded. "Both Bulbasaur and Magneton are unable to continue battling!" Both Pokemon's icons faded off the screen, leaving only Ash's Pikachu in the first slot, and a last unused slot in Jackson's party. Both trainers returned their Pokémon.

Ash looked at Pikachu. "Good luck buddy, it's all up to you now."

Pikachu nodded and jumped off Ash's shoulder, entering the field. _"Don't mess up!"_ Latias telepathed playfully to Pikachu.

'_Why have you two been so quiet__ lately?'_ Ash thought.

"_Err… we haven't had anything to comment about?"_ Latios responded.

Jackson grabbed his last Pokeball. "Meganium, You're up next!" The large Grass-Type, a large pale green dinosaur like Pokémon with a large pink flower around its neck appeared. Jackson smirked. "Meganium is my strongest Pokémon. You can't beat it!"

"I don't think so! Pikachu, get ready!" Ash countered.

"The last battle! Who shall win!" The MC bellowed. Up on the screen, Meganium's icon filled the last of Jaskson's slots.

'_That Pikachu is very fast, I need to be careful,'_ Jackson thought. "Meganium, use Razor leaf!" A large flurry of leaves was shot from the back of Meganium's flower, heading directly at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick attack!" Ash shouted. Pikachu began running at the Razor leaves, easily side-stepping to dodge them, each leap and bound getting him closer to Meganium.

"Stay in one place you little Rattata!" Maganium shouted in frustration as Pikachu evaded the Razor Leaves.

"Tangle him up with vine Whip!" Jackson shouted. Meganium slid two vines out from the sides of his neck flower and shot them in Pikachu's direction.

"Let him hit you, but grab on to the vines!" Ash shouted, having, as usual, some very weird but very effective ideas. Pikachu looked confused, but knew Ash was good when it came to unusual tactics. He stopped and braced himself. Both of the vines struck him and pushed him back, but he managed to grab onto one of them. "Now, use Thunder!"

"Ha! Take this!" Pikachu bellowed as he released a colossal amount of electricity, which surged up the vine and shocked Meganium. He cried in pain and gritted his teeth, spinning about and sending Pikachu flying. The mouse flipped through the air and landed safely a few dozen feet away from the Grass-Type.

"Meganium, use Earthquake!" Jackson shouted. Meganium grinned as he stood on his two hind legs and stomped on the ground, sending a powerful tremor across the battlefield.

"Pikachu, use your tail to jump!" Ash shouted. Pikachu nodded and struck his tail on the ground as hard as he could, using the recoil to jump over the Earthquake.

"Pikachu can't move in the air, use Body Slam!" Jackson shouted. Meganium began to run towards the falling Pikachu, hitting him in the chest rather hard. Pikachu, guessing Ash's next order, rode it out and grabbed onto Meganium's head.

"Thunder! Ash shouted. Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he released a tremendous amount of electricity, shocking the Grass-Type. With a swing of his head, Meganium managed to pry off Pikachu and fling him away.

"Solar Beam!" Jackson shouted. Meganium's neck petals began to shine brightly as he absorbed the sun's rays. Pikachu landed, looking at Meganium.

"Quick, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled as he fired a lightning bolt at the Grass-Type…several seconds too late. Meganium had already finished charging up. With a mighty battle cry, he fired the Solar Beam. The white beam crashed against the Thunderbolt. Even though Pikachu was pumping as much electricity as he could into it, his Thunderbolt gave in and was torn apart by the Solar Beam.

"Pikachu, use Agility!" Pikachu cut off the feed to his Thunderbolt and quickly jumped to the side, the Solar Beam striking where he had just been a second ago, causing an explosion that sent Pikachu flying.

"And another intense battle! Ash and Jackson have surely given us one of the best Second Round battles of this year's Silver Conference!" The MC shouted. The crowd cheered in agreement.

"That's it!" Jackson shouted. "Let's finish this with Hyper Beam!" he bellowed.

"You're toast you little Rattata!" Meganium shouted as he opened his mouth and started gathering a sphere of volatile orange energy. Pikachu stood up and tried to move away, but he flinched in tiredness, panting for breath.

'_Oh great, Pikachu is too tired! I have to think of something!' _Ash thought frantically as he saw the energy orb in Meganium's mouth get bigger with every passing second. Suddenly, he got an idea._ 'Latios, will this work?' _Ash thought.

Latios scanned Ash's thoughts. "_I'm not entirely sure, but it's worth a shot,"_ he telepathed.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail as a shield!" Ash shouted just as Meganium fired the potent Hyper Beam. Pikachu nodded as he concentrated what little energy he had left, momentarily forgetting his tiredness as the orange energy beam got closer by the second. His tail glowed a bright white as it acquired steel-like properties.

Pikachu swung his tail so it was in front of him not a second too late, because the Hyper Beam crashed against his hardened tail, pushing him back, but Pikachu held strong. The Hyper Beam got split into many smaller beams by Pikachu's tail as they flew past him, shattering the earth behind. Seeing this, Ash got an idea. "Return it!" he shouted.

Pikachu smirked and swung his tail widely, deflecting the last remnants of the Hyper Beam back into the stunned Meganium. The last fragment of the Hyper Beam struck Maganium in the chest, creating a small explosion and pushing him back. He grunted in pain, looking down he saw several burns left on his skin.

"WHAT!" The MC cried, impressed. "I've never seen anything like this before!" The entire stadium burst into cheers.

"Now, end this Pikachu!" Ash encouraged. Pikachu nodded and mustered as much of his energy as he could. With his still-glowing tail, he charged at Meganium.

"Oh no," Jackson whispered. "Get out of the way!" he shouted. Meganium tried to move, but a spasm of exhaustion ran through his body. A Pokémon must rest a few seconds after using a move as powerful as Hyper Beam.

"Take this!" Pikachu shouted as he leaped and struck Meganium on the side with a swing of his Iron Tail. Meganium cried in pain as he toppled over, and fainted. Pikachu landed and gave a series of shallow pants; he was tired as hell.

"Meganium is unable to continue battling! Victory goes to Ash of Pallet Town!" the referee shouted.

"And Ash Ketchum has won Block 'A' Folks! He is moving to the Final Rounds and the top 16 Trainers of this Silver Conference!" The MC informed. The crowd cheered. Again.

"YES!" Ash shouted, running to the field and lifting up the tired Pikachu in a hug as Jackson returned his Meganium.

"You were great," Jackson whispered to the Pokeball as he left the arena. In the meantime Ash kept jumping up and down happily as he celebrated his victory.

"_Congratulations!"_ Latias cheered, hovering over and giving Ash a quick hug. She pulled away quickly, not wanting Ash to make an awkward movement because of her hug.

"Thanks," Ash thanked. He rubbed Pikachu's head affectionately, "Thanks to you too buddy, you were impressive!" Ash praised. Pikachu smiled happily.

Meanwhile, up in the stands, a certain trainer smiled. "Impressive Ash," Gary whispered. He stood up and walked to the exit. "Enjoy your victory now, because no matter what happens, I'm winning the Silver Conference, even if I face you."

He wasn't the only trainer who was smiling. "I'm SO gonna marry him!" Macey squealed.

* * *

And this concluded chapter 13! Hope you all like this chapter! **REVIEW PLEASE!**

On a separate note, anyone that wants to battle me on Pokemon Battle Revolution or Super Smash Bros. Brawl feel free to ask me my friend codes in a Private Message, I'm waiting for any potential challenger!


	14. Clash Of Rivals

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

And here's Chapter 14! Enjoy!

* * *

"Finally!" Ash exclaimed happily. Everyone smiled, understanding his good mood. He had made it to the top sixteen trainers in the Johto League Silver Conference, a very impressive feat. After a wait of a few days while the rest of the Blocks finished their battles, and a rest day between the Second Round and the Finals, today our heroes were going to the administrative area to learn about Ash's first Final Round battle.

Bianca smiled. "So, you actually made it to the finals…"

"Of course I did!" Ash exclaimed cheerfully. He paused. "So, how do they work?"

Brock took out his Silver Conference Guidebook. "Well, according to this, the last sixteen trainers are sorted out into direct battles. The battles are full six-on-six Pokémon, and for the first sixteen trainers, they're divided into eight matches. The winners of those matches are then divided into four more matches and so on. The matches follow a certain order, like the winner of match one goes up against the winner of match two, and so on."

"Six-on-six battles, huh? Those are pretty challenging," Ash said. "So, should I use Latios for those?"

Bianca perked up a little, excited at the prospect of seeing Latios battle. "Yeah, that would be interesting," she commented.

"That depends," Brock answered. "We'll check the trainer records. If the opposing trainer has a powerful team, we'll include Latios."

Ash nodded. "Alright. And if I fight Gary, then Latios goes in for sure!"

"_Great, now it's__ finally my turn,"_ Latios said, as usual hovering above the group, invisible.

"Together we'll win the conference!" Ash shouted enthusiastically. Everyone smiled, glad that he was so motivated.

"_I'll do my best,"_ Latios telepathed, letting Ash know that he supported him.

"_Me too!"_ Latias telepathed cheerfully.

Everyone sweatdropped. "Err, Latias," Misty began. "You don't battle."

"_I __might not, but I help clear things up for Ash sometimes, and I cheer them on!" _Latias telepathed, her sweet and happy tone making everyone smile for some reason.

"_That she does,"_ Latios commented.

Misty looked forward. "Hey Ash, isn't that your mom?" she said, seeing Ash's mother in the distance.

"_And the two weirdos,"_ Latios added.

"Those are the professors," Misty clarified.

"_I think that's why he said __weirdoes,"_ Latias telepathed. Misty sweatdropped.

Ash ran forward eagerly. "There he goes again, can't he just walk!" Misty yelled in exasperation. Bianca looked at the boy oddly.

Brock chuckled. "Don't worry, he's always like this," he said, seeing Bianca's stare. She shrugged and kept walking.

In the meantime Ash kept running until he reached his mother, walking around Silver Town with Professors Oak and Elm towards the administrative area in the Pokemon Center just like him. "Hi, Mom!" he shouted.

Delia turned around and smiled fondly. "Hello dear!" she cooed, hugging Ash. "Congratulations on making it to the finals!"

Ash parted from the hug. "You know about that?"

Delia smiled. "Of course I do! We watched you and Gary's Second Round battles on TV along with all of Pallet Town. According to Tracey, the whole town is cheering for you and Gary."

Ash smiled. "Thanks." He turned to the professors. "Hi Professors!" Both scientists politely returned the greeting. "So, how did I do in the battles?"

"Impressive," Delia said at once, no doubt in her voice.

"Indeed," Professor Oak agreed. "Especially the last one against that Jackson kid, the way you returned his Meganium's Hyper Beam was brilliant."

Professor Elm sulked in the back; Jackson was one of his New Bark Town trainers. "Too bad…" he muttered.

"Thanks," Ash said gratefully. "So, how long have you been in Silver Town?"

"We arrived about an hour ago," Delia replied.

"Don't run off like that!" Misty yelled in frustration from behind Ash. He leaped in surprise, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Hello everyone!" Delia said happily. Everyone returned the greeting. Surprisingly, she heard two voices in her mind, and she fidgeted a little.

"Is something wrong?" Brock asked.

"I think I heard a voice in my head," Delia replied.

One of the two identical girls grinned widely. _"That was me!"_ Latias informed her cheerfully. _"I'm Latias, remember?"_

"Oh, I remember now, Ash told me you could speak mind-to-mind," Delia said, in relief. It wasn't an everyday thing to hear voices out of nowhere in your head.

"_It's called telepathy,"_ Latios informed her.

"Are you sure Delia?" Professor Oak asked. "I don't hear anything."

"Me neither," Professor Elm said.

"That's probably because Latias and Latios can only speak telepathically to friends. They've been training to speak freely, though," Ash told the Professors. "I guess my mom can hear them because she's my mom, and Latios and Latias have been training a lot since the last time they saw her."

"Ah." Both professors nodded in comprehension. But still, why could Delia hear the Legendaries and they couldn't! It was a Pokémon professor's dream to speak to a Legendary! Latias and Latios sweatdropped as they picked up those thoughts.

"I guess they need a bit more training for us to hear them," Professor Oak muttered.

"And who is she?" Delia asked, looking at Bianca. "She looks like Latias."

Bianca stepped forward. "I'm Bianca, I was the one that took care of Latias and Latios before Ash befriended them. I came to Silver Town to see them again."

"Oh, I'm Delia, Ash's mother, and I guess you've heard of Professors Elm and Oak," Delia said, introducing herself and the others.

"Yes, I have," Bianca replied.

Professor Oak looked at his watch. "Well, now that we all know each other, we should go to the Pokemon Center, the matchups should be given out soon."

"Okay!" Ash shouted happily. The group started walking to the Administrative Area in the Pokemon Center.

Delia looked at Bianca and then at the Disguised Latias. "Why is it that you look like Bianca, Latias?" Delia asked.

Latias turned to look at her. _"Well, I've known Bianca ever since she was a kid. She's my best friend, so I like to make my human appearance like hers,"_ Latias replied, remembering how she had always used Bianca's appearance, well, when Bianca got older, anyway.

"A kid?" Bianca asked. "You were my babysitter when Lorenzo was busy until I turned like ten. You've known me since I was a baby." Latias giggled at the memories of that time.

Latios groaned. _"It was more like I was the babysitter for _both_ of you."_

Latias pouted. _"We weren't that bad!"_

Latios laughed. _"And you're supposed to be as old as I am?" _he telepathed back. Latias tried to keep a straight face but soon started giggling.

Pikachu sighed. This talk reminded him of how much Togepi got into trouble, and it was always him that had to get her out of trouble by placing himself in danger.

The group entered the administrative area. Ash noticed that there were only a few people there, probably because only sixteen trainers remained.

While Professors Oak and Elm walked to where Mr. Goodshow was, probably to talk to him or help in any preparations, Ash looked at the screen. It was displaying the faces and names of the sixteen trainers that had passed. As expected, Gary's was there as well as his. They did not have any matchups yet.

"Hello Ashy-boy," Gary greeted, walking up to Ash.

"Hello Gary," Ash said dryly. Gary chuckled and turned to look at the screen, waiting patiently for the matchups to be posted.

"Who's that?" Bianca whispered to Latias.

"_He's just some guy Ash happens to have a rivalry with,"_ Latias answered.

"Ahh," Bianca muttered in understanding.

After a few minutes Mr. Goodshow stepped forward. "Congratulations to the sixteen trainers that passed to the Finals. Now, the matchups for the battles will be decided. All battles will be six-on six-Pokémon on elemental fields, either grass, water, rock or ice." Most trainers nodded, already knowing this. "Now, this computer will randomly sort out the battles between all sixteen of you." He motioned to the screen and pressed a button on a remote control. The sixteen photos turned blank and shuffled themselves around the screen a few times until a tournament diagram appeared and the photos set themselves. "These are the first Final Rounds battles!" Mr. Goodshow announced.

Professor Oak and Delia's eyes widened. Latias and Latios grinned eagerly. Brock and Misty looked at Ash. Bianca didn't now why everyone was reacting like this. Ash chuckled and turned to Gary, just as Gary turned to look at him. On the screen, match number two read: Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak. "So Gary," Ash began. "You're getting kicked out of the conference so soon, I almost feel bad for you."

"Says you Ashy-boy. I hope you enjoyed your time in the conference, because it's about to be over," Gary replied calmly.

Mr. Goodshow's voice interrupted them from possibly killing each other on the spot. "These are the Final round matches. Today the first two matches will be fought, the first at two o'clock and the second immediately after. Match number one is between Harrison and Jamie, and match number two is between Ash and Gary, so all of you go and prepare for your matches." The old man bowed and walked away, followed by the professors.

"Well Ashy-boy, I have to go and prepare my team to beat you. Please try to be a challenge," Gary said, turning to walk away.

Ash fumed. "I'll make you eat those words…."

Gary chuckled. "Oh, and remember this?" Gary dug one of his hands into a pocket and took out a Pokeball, well, the top half of one anyway. It was old and quite rusted. Everyone gave Gary confused looks.

"Is that a Pokeball?" Delia asked.

"_More like part of one,"_ Latios remarked.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed. "You still have it?"

"Of course I do, it was my first defeat," Gary stated.

"We tied! Nobody won," Ash countered.

"Well, to me tying with someone like you is as good as a loss," Gary replied, not looking very interested. He turned and left. "See you in our match Ashy-boy!" Latios suppressed a growl and would have given Gary a splitting headache had Latias not calmed him down.

"What was that Pokeball thing?" Delia asked.

"It was a small fight we had long ago, before we departed on our Pokémon journeys," Ash replied. He huffed at the memory. "It's not important…Anyway, let's go back to the hotel and register my team." He turned to Brock and Misty and looked at them pleadingly. "You'll help me build an adequate team, right!"

Brock laughed. "Of course we'll help you."

Ash smiled. "Thanks a lot."

"_How I would have loved to resume visibility and scare the crap out of him,"_ Latios commented. Everyone laughed.

"Ash dear," Delia began. Ash turned to look at her. "I'll go with Professor Oak and get my Stadium tickets. Thankfully, Oak called ahead and bought them in advance, we don't want to end up in the cheap seats. See you all later!" she chimed, walking away.

Ash shrugged. "Well, let's go!" The group headed back to the hotel to register Ash's team.

"So what kind of Pokémon does Gary use?" Misty asked.

"Well," Brock began. "Gary doesn't favor a single type, he has a wide variety of Pokémon."

"That's going to be hard. Choosing a team to beat that will be tough, unlike with Macey," Misty lamented.

"But I also have a wide variety of Pokemon! And with Latios on my side, Gary can't beat me," Ash said confidently.

"Remember what Clair said, Ash: 'Even Legendaries can be defeated.' Latios can't knock out Gary's entire team," Brock lectured.

"_Well, actually-"_ Latios started.

"_No, you can't,"_ Latias said. He glared at her, and she giggled.

Ash sighed. "I know…"

"_Don't worry Ash, I'll do my best,"_ Latios assured him.

"Thanks," Ash said, glad that his Legendary Pokemon would help him through this tough match.

The group returned to the hotel after a few minutes of walking. As usual Latios entered through the balcony. "So Brock, what's my team going to be?" Ash asked yet again, getting on the breeder's nerves.

Brock sighed. "Well, just making a team that will have the most advantage won't work on a trainer like Gary, so we'll use other aspects to make up your team."

"Yeah, we already discussed that," Misty agreed. She placed Togepi on the floor to let her roam about the room. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder to keep an eye on the baby Pokémon.

"Like what?" Ash asked curiously.

"Simple, we'll make your team based on power, speed, experience, battling style, and types," Brock said. "The idea is making a team that's varied and can adapt to anything Gary sends out against you."

"And that team will be…" Ash left the sentence hanging, waiting for Brock or Misty to finish.

"I've been thinking for some time now, and I think I know the best team to take on Gary," Brock said. "I would recommend Latios, Charizard, Snorlax, Pikachu, Bayleef and Heracross."

"Charizard? Where is he, by the way?" Ash asked.

"He's probably still on the way here, he should arrive any minute now," Misty answered.

"That sounds like a good team," Ash commented.

"Yeah, Charizard, Latios and Snorlax will give you power, Bayleef's good in defensive terms, and Pikachu and Heracross are fast. That should be able to beat Gary's team," Brock answered as he sat the computer and registered Ash's team.

"And what are Gary's toughest Pokemon?" Ash asked, wanting to know who Gary's strongest fighters were.

"Wait a minute…" Brock muttered. After a few clicks, he finished registering Ash's team and opened Gary's trainer records. "Well, he has a Blastoise-probably his starter-his Umbreon is trouble Ash-at least for Latios-and he also has an Alakazam, a very strong Psychic."

"Latios can crack an Alakazam, I'm sure of it," Ash said confidently.

Latios shrugged, happy that Ash had so much faith in him. Brock continued. "He also has a Gyarados, Dodrio, Skarmory, Kingdra, and many others, but nothing you can't handle. I think."

Ash nodded eagerly. "Sounds good to me."

"This will be good," Bianca said. "And I'll finally get to see Latios battle!"

"_My brother will beat up that Gary,"_ Latias said confidently. Latios chuckled nervously.

"That reminds me…" Ash muttered. He went to his backpack and began looking through it.

"_What are you looking for?"_ Latias asked.

"You'll see…" Ash muttered. After a minute of looking, he finally found what he was looking for. "Here it is!" he announced, holding the bottom half of a rusty old Pokeball before his friends.

"_Isn't that the same crappy thing Gary had?"_ Latias asked. Ash facefaulted.

"It's not a crappy thing, Gary and I fought over a Pokeball long ago and we broke it. I keep it as a good luck charm. Since each of us got one half, I considered it a tie, but Gary thinks it's a loss," Ash explained.

"So how did it happen?" Bianca asked curiously.

Ash shook his head. "I'm not telling, it's a little embarrassing…"

"Aw, come on, tell us!" Misty said, encouraging Ash.

"No, I'm not telling!" Ash said, shaking his head rapidly.

"_Can I read your mind and check it out?"_ Latias asked politely.

Ash shook his head. "No."

"Pleeeease?" Latias begged, making her 'cute face.' She pressed herself close to Ash, putting her claws together pleadingly, gave him a very tender smile, and used her Pokemon voice because she knew Ash found her squeals adorable. Ash couldn't resist her cuteness, much to Misty's chagrin and irritation.

"Alright, go ahead," Ash said, giving in. Latias nodded happily, floating back a bit as her eyes glowed. She quickly scanned Ash's mind and found the memory in question. It took her a few seconds to read it, and when she finished…she started laughing hard. Ash blushed in embarrassment. Everyone stared at Latias, wondering why she was laughing. Her laugher sounded really cute because of her high-pitched Pokémon voice.

"_What's so funny?"_ Latios asked, unable to resist his curiosity. Latios read Ash's mind too… and started laughing as well.

"Hey!" Ash shouted.

"_You got slapped by a Magikarp!"_ Latias exclaimed telepathically.

Brock, Bianca and Misty stared at Latias. "Ash got slapped by a Magikarp?" Misty asked.

"_Can I show them?"_ Latios asked. Ash shrugged unhappily, feeling that things were no longer under his control. Latios managed to catch his breath for a second and projected the memory into Brock, Misty, Pikachu (even if he was busy keeping Togepi safe) and Bianca's minds. They saw how Ash had been fishing for water Pokémon, through all he caught was a Magikarp that slapped him. Gary appeared soon after. They continued fishing and surprisingly they both caught a Pokeball. As they fought over it, they broke the Pokeball in half, leaving it in the condition it was now. Gary yelled at Ash for a while, then stomped off.

"I'll get him back for that!" Ash said in determination as the memory faded.

"This will be interesting," Bianca agreed, catching her breath. "So, how strong is this Gary?"

"Well," Brock started. "He's caught about ten times more Pokémon than Ash, and apparently spent the entire month before the Silver Conference training on Mt. Silver, so he's very strong."

"Ha! But those hundreds of Pokémon won't help him beat Charizard or Latios!" Ash countered.

Misty laughed. "That's true. I think."

"So, What now?" Ash asked.

"Well, it's still half an hour before match one begins, so we could just enjoy ourselves until then," Brock suggested, turning the computer off.

"Okay, sounds good to me," Bianca agreed.

"But we should attend match one," Misty noted.

"Why?" Ash asked.

"Because the winner of match one goes against the winner of the battle between you and Gary, so in case you win, it would be useful to see how your future opponent fights," Misty replied.

"Can you attend please?" Ash requested, looking at Misty and Brock. "You're the ones that help me make my teams anyway."

"And where would you be?" Misty asked. "You should be the one watching the fight!"

"Well, I have to go and get my team ready, and I have to wait for Charizard to arrive. We don't want him to show up in the middle of the match," Ash replied.

Misty nodded. "Nice excuse, but it's valid."

Ash sweatdropped. "Alright, thanks a lot."

With that the group left the hotel and parted ways. Bianca, Misty and Brock went to the stadium to see the match while Ash went to the Pokemon Center to exchange his Pokémon team. Latias felt a bit odd seeing a Nurse Joy without having to restrain a pervert.

"_So, where would your Charizard arrive?"_ Latias asked as they left the center.

"I think he'd go to a secluded spot, maybe. I don't really think he'll arrive in the city," Ash answered.

"_Let's go to the lake to pass the time__. It will also be a nice place to relax before your big battle,"_ Latias suggested.

"Yeah, let's go," Ash agreed, starting to walk to the lake. "Finally, the time has arrived, right Pikachu?"

"Yes," the mouse agreed. "Hey Ash, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Ash agreed.

"If Gary uses his Umbreon, I want to fight her," Pikachu stated.

"Her?" Ash repeated. "Why?"

"If you remember correctly Ash, as an Eevee she defeated me, and I want a rematch, badly," Pikachu replied.

"Sure, just make sure to take her out, she could be a problem for Latios because of her Dark-type," Ash said.

After a few more minutes they arrived at the lake. As they entered, Latias and Latios psychically scanned the area in search of humans. There weren't any, mainly because they were are all in Silver Stadium getting their seats for the upcoming match. Since everything was clear, Latias reverted to her Pokémon form and Latios regained visibility.

"So Ash, in which part of the battle will I be used?" Latios asked curiously.

"Well, I'll save you for my last pokemon," Ash answered.

"Alright," Latios said, wondering how tough Gary's Pokémon would be. He was confident he could defeat them.

"Gary will be defeated, of that I'm sure," Ash said out loud.

He walked until he reached the edge of the lake. He smiled at the relaxing scene. The sun reflected on the water's surface, Pidgeys chirped as they flew by, and a shadowy figure was approaching from the sky. Wait, what the heck!

Ash squinted to see the figure better without the sun's contrast. When the figure got closer Ash finally made out who it was. "Yes! It's Charizard!" He cried happily. And of course, as he landed, Charizard greeted Ash the usual way by shooting a huge Flamethrower at him from above. "Oh, crap," Ash muttered as the flames rushed towards him.

The eon dragon's reaction was immediate. Latios' eyes shined a bright white as he used his powers to lift a large amount of water from the lake, moving it quickly over Ash and forming a protective shield above him. The flames hit the water and were extinguished, turning into a billowing cloud of steam that was blown away by the airborne fire dragon's wingbeats. Charizard's jaw dropped slightly. _'What the hell?' _His gaze was caught by the two dragons that were a few meters from Ash. He noticed that the eyes of the larger blue one were glowing. _'A psychic…'_

Latios returned the water to the lake, now somewhat diminished, as Charizard landed a few feet beside Ash. Charizard glared at Latios. As for Latios…he was confused as to why Charizard was glaring at him, all he did was shield Ash. "Errr… hi, Charizard," Ash said, slightly intimidated by the glare Charizard was throwing at Latios.

"Hello Ash," Charizard said finally, looking briefly at Ash. "Who are they?"

"Those are Latias and her brother Latios. They're new members of my team…well, only Latios for now," Ash answered.

"Ah," Charizard said. There was a pause. "Wait…how can you understand me?"

Pikachu laughed. "He messed with another Legendary, as usual, and as a result Ash now understands Pokemon," the mouse explained. "Hey Charizard, long time no see."

"Hey, good to see you too," Charizard replied. He walked a bit closer to Latios. "You seem like a strong Pokemon."

Latios raised an eyebrow. "I like to consider myself one."

Charizard grinned. "And you are a Legendary, if I'm not mistaken."

Latios nodded. "Yes…"

"Fight me!" Charizard bellowed.

"What?" Latios questioned flatly.

"I said fight me, you seem like an interesting opponent," Charizard replied. "A Legendary is always a powerful opponent!"

"I'm not fighting you!" Latios argued. "Why do you even want to fight me?"

Charizard chuckled. "To see if I've become stronger. I've fought or been near many Legendaries, but I never seem to be able to do anything against them. I lost against a clone Charizard created by a legendary, I was near the Legendary birds but their fight was so intense that I knew if I entered, I could have been killed by them, and I finally fought a Legendary one on one-even if it was an illusion-and still lost! Now that I've trained so much, I want to see if I can finally fight and defeat a Legendary Pokemon. That's one of my greatest dreams!"

Latios frowned. He remembered all those events Charizard was describing from Ash's stories, but he wasn't going to fight him just for a simple power test! "I'm still not fighting you."

Charizard growled and glared at Latios. "Then I'll _make_ you fight me."

Latios glared back, hoping that the glare of a psychic Legendary Pokemon (That can be a scary glare) would make Charizard back off. It didn't. Both Dragons-well, Dragon-like in Charizard's case-glared at each other, the tension rapidly building.

Pikachu sighed. "Same hot-headed Charizard…he hasn't changed in the least."

"He doesn't seem very nice," Latias commented.

Pikachu chuckled. "Don't worry, he's a good friend to be with, but he always gets like this when he spots a powerful opponent."

Ash looked back and forth between them. Charizard seemed eager to have a go at Latios, but Latios didn't seem too interested in fighting Charizard. "Alright Charizard, calm down, you aren't fighting Latios. With my luck, we'll run into another legendary Pokemon later and then you can fight it."

Charizard turned to Ash. "Oh no, I want to fight that Legendary _now_!"

Ash chuckled. "Sorry, not now. I have an important match today, that's why you're here. If you battle Latios, that would tire out two of my strongest fighters."

"And who are you fighting?" Charizard asked.

"Gary," Ash replied. "You and Latios will be my main battlers to defeat him."

"Okay, that sounds interesting," Charizard admitted. He turned to Latios. "That doesn't save you though, I'm still fighting you!" Latios sighed in exasperation but made no comment.

Ash chuckled. He grabbed three Pokeballs and opened them, releasing Snorlax, Bayleef and Heracross. Bayleef tried to tackle Ash affectionately but Ash managed to side-step in time to dodge her. She pouted and returned to the others. "Okay, I just wanted to spend a little time with you all," Ash explained. "After all, a very tough match is coming up very soon."

"A very tough match?" Bayleef asked curiously.

Ash nodded. "Yes, we're going to fight Gary, and you six are my chosen team to beat him!"

Charizard glanced around. "I count seven Pokemon."

Latias sweatdropped. "I'm not fighting, I'm here for moral support."

Charizard glanced between Latias and Latios. He noticed that they looked similar and remembered that Ash had introduced them as brother and sister. Charizard raised an eyebrow. "Is she a Legendary too? Think I could have a battle wi-"

"I wouldn't try that," Pikachu interrupted Charizard. He was about to question why until he noticed Latios' glare, a glare that clearly said that anyone who messed with Latias was as good as dead, even him. He gulped.

Bayleef extended a vine whip and smacked Charizard on the head. "Can't you think of anything else! It's always fight this, fight that, fight here, fight there! Do something else for a change!" She scolded Charizard.

Charizard rubbed the back of his head. "I don't remember you being any different when you were a Chikorita!" He argued.

"I matured when I evolved, but you're sill the same!" Bayleef countered, ignoring the fact that she was still in love with Ash and continued trying to gain his affections. "Apologize to Latias and Latios, they're our teammates now and all you want to do is fight them."

"Alright, jeez." Charizard looked at the eon twins. "Sorry for my earlier behavior, it's just that I like fighting tough opponents, and it's a dream of mine to beat a Legendary, so I kinda got eager when I saw one."

"It's alright, just try be a little nicer from now on," Latias replied. Latios nodded in agreement.

"The last time you fought a Legendary you could have died if Molly hadn't stopped Entei," Pikachu deadpanned.

Charizard fumed. "It was a crappy illusion! And you also got beat by him, too!" Ash sweatdropped at his Pokemon. Sometimes he wondered if hearing them talk was everything it was cut out to be.

Bayleef turned to Charizard. "We'll probably meet another Legendary in the future, so you can get your butt kicked later."

"Ha! Next time I'll beat a Legendary!" Charizard said confidently.

"I don't think picking a fight with any Legendary is a good idea, some of them are rather short-tempered," Pikachu muttered.

"Alright cut it out," Ash said. All his Pokémon turned to him. "For now, remember that our toughest match ever is approaching, but I know that we'll win. I trust you all. And Snorlax, please try to stay awake until the battle."

The large Pokémon suppressed a yawn. "I'll try."

"So, enjoy yourselves until the battle," Ash said. "Relaxing before such a tough fight will be good for all of us."

The Pokémon nodded. Snorlax and Heracross went to eat, Pikachu and Charizard caught up after not seeing each other in a while, Ash sat on the edge of the lake, with Bayleef, Latias, and Latios beside him. Bayleef noticed that Ash looked a little nervous. "What's wrong, Ash?"

"Well, I've never defeated Gary in the past. He always beats me to everything. I guess I'm a little anxious," Ash admitted.

"Don't worry Ash, you'll win, I'm sure of it," Latias cooed slightly, nuzzling Ash.

"Yeah," Bayleef agreed. "We'll fight our best for you. Besides, we have Mister I-will-beat-the-crap-out-of-everything on our side," she said looking at Charizard. The dragon in question was leaning against a tree casually while Pikachu sat on a branch overhead, talking with each other. Ash Laughed. "And I'm sure Latios will make sure your victory is assured, so there's no reason to be nervous." Bayleed finished.

Ash chuckled. "Thanks Bayleef." He gave her a small hug of gratitude. She squealed in delight. He parted from her and looked at Latios. "How long until the battle starts?"

Latios' eyes glowed as he closed them. He amplified his senses until he could detect what was going at the stadium, all his training lifting rocks and meditating allowing his stronger mind to reach greater distances. He sensed two Pokémon fighting in the arena, meaning that the battle had either just begun or was in progress. "The battle has already started. I can't tell how much of the match has passed," Latios answered as his eyes opened and stopped glowing.

"I wish I could see that far away," Ash muttered.

Latios laughed. "Who knows? Maybe when you're older you could do it."

"Well," Ash started. "We should get going to the stadium." He stood up and grabbed a few Pokeballs to return everyone, though Bayleef gave him a last affectionate nuzzle before disappearing. He returned everyone except Pikachu and Latios. He grabbed Latios' Pokeball too, but the eon dragon interrupted him.

"I'd like to stay outside, please," Latios said.

Ash looked confused. "Shouldn't you be in your Pokeball since you're going to fight?"

"No thanks, I'd like to stay outside for now. That and it will be scarier for Gary if I appear out of nowhere," Latios answered. Latias, Ash and Pikachu sweatdropped.

"That's a good idea," Ash muttered. "Anyway, let's go," Ash turned to leave as Latias and Latios turned invisible. They headed back to the stadium, Ash ready to take on Gary and anything his fellow Pallet Towner would send against him.

* * *

"Sneasel! Use Night Slash!" A Pokemon trainer from Hoenn named Harrison called. Sneasel became a black blur as it ran about. The opposing Pokemon, a Haunter, looked about in confusion, trying to pinpoint the speedy Pokémon. The Haunter had no time to react as a claw slash powered with Dark-Type energy tore through it. Its ectoplasmic body couldn't resist the blow, and the Haunter fainted.

"Haunter is unable to battle!" The referee called, raising a red flag. "Victory goes to Harrison from Little Root Town!" The crowd cheered as Harrison made his way to the exit.

Harrison smiled. "I did it," he murmured. _'I'm going up against the winner of the next match, so I'd better stay in the crowd and see what my next opponent has,'_ he thought as he walked to the stands and looked for a nice place to watch the next battle.

Up in the stands, Misty looked worried. "That guy Harrison goes against the winner of the match between Ash and Gary, right?"

Brock nodded. "That's right."

"He'll be a tough opponent, he has a few Pokémon from the Hoenn Region. He only used one, but he probably has more," Misty remarked.

"Anyway, we should go to the entrance, Ash should be arriving soon," Brock announced, standing up and walking to one of the access tunnels. Bianca and Misty did the same.

"Popcorn for sale!" A disguised Jessie shouted. She looked at Misty and froze.

Misty shook her head, not recognizing her. "No thanks." She turned to Delia, Oak and Elm. "What about you?"

Delia smiled. "Oh, we'll stay here, thanks. We've got a good view of the battlefield anyway so I can take great photos from here, and besides, Ash has enough support from all of you."

Misty shrugged. "Alright." She followed the others away.

"Those rotten twerps," Jessie hissed quietly.

"Yeah," James agreed as he walked back to her.

"Hey! My popcorn!" A random person shouted.

"I want some too!" Another shouted. Looks like Team Rocket is too busy selling popcorn to attack the heroes today, oh well…

After exiting the stadium Misty, Brock and Bianca went to the arena access tunnel. Gary was there, showing the guard his ID. The guard let him pass…as well as his cheerleader/fangirl team. They sighed. "Great, looks like his cheerleading team is back," Misty muttered. She grabbed her mallet and hit Brock since he had been drooling at the sight of the cheerleaders.

"Hey guys," Ash said as he walked up to them.

"Great, you're just in time, lets go," Bianca said. Ash nodded and walked to the tunnel.

The guard blocked his path. "Trainer ID, please."

Ash took out his Pokedex and showed it to him. The guard verified if Ash was due to fight in the next battle. When he saw that he was, he moved aside and let Ash pass. "They're with me," Ash said, pointing to Bianca, Brock and Misty. The guard nodded and allowed them through as well.

"The time has come. Ready buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu, who was on his shoulder. The Electric-Type nodded. "Latios, are you ready as well?"

The invisible Dragon chuckled. _"Of course I am."_

Ash stepped to the arena and walked to his trainer box, the one on the green side. His friends took a seat on the bench behind him, Latias and Latios hovering at either side of him. Ash noticed Gary's cheerleaders on the other side of the field, behind Gary. "Great, those annoying girls are back…"

"Gary, Gary, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can! Go...Gary!" Gary's group of cheerleaders cheered happily as they danced about.

"Well Ash, you have your cheerleader too," Misty said. Ash glanced at her to see what she was referring to and smiled when he saw Togepi holding a banner that said 'Go Ash!' Politoed was also there; shouting numerous cheers, through the only human that understood them was Ash.

"_Good Luck Ash,"_ Latias said, giving Ash a gentle nuzzle.

"Thanks," Ash said with a smile.

"Greetings folks," the MC started. "Here we have match number two of the Final Rounds of the Silver Conference. The earlier match, as we know, was won by Harrison. The winner of this match goes against him in the next round."

Ash and Gary stared fiercely at each other. "I will win," both trainers muttered at the same time.

"This match has a special air to it," the MC commented. "Both trainers are of the same age and same home town! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Gary Oak, also from Pallet Town! Gary Oak is the grandson of the world famous Professor Oak, And Ash Ketchum has quite a history as well…top sixteen of the Indigo League and Champion of the Orange League. I assure you all, this battle promises to be great! Now, let's see what battlefield is up and who chooses first!"

Everyone's attention was locked to the screen atop the Stadium. Filling it were Ash's and Gary's images. Below their photos were six empty slots for their Pokemon. In the center was a small circle divided in four parts, one had a leaf, one had an ice formation, one had a rock and the last had a drop of water. One of the segments lit up. The light started passing through all of them rapidly, gradually slowing down until it stopped on the ice formation, meaning that the battle was going to be fought on an ice battlefield. "Alright folks, this match will be fought on an ice battlefield, how will this affect and benefit the trainers?" the MC trailed on.

In the arena, the neutral arena separated from the rest of the floor and started sinking into the ground where it divided, shifting and letting another battlefield take its place. The stadium's huge hydraulic system slowly raised the new battlefield until it was at ground level. The battlefield was made of a very thick ice. Several formations rose from the ground, almost looking like the tip of Icebergs. "And now, let's see which trainer chooses first!" the MC said.

Another circle replaced the previous one and started spinning a flashing light. This time, the light stopped on a green segment, meaning that Ash chooses first. "So, the first move is for Ash Ketchum!" the MC informed rather unnecessarily.

Ash pondered his first choice. After a moment's thought, he grabbed his first Pokeball. "Go, Heracross!" He threw the Pokeball to the battlefield, and with a bright flash the large blue beetle-like pokemon with a very big horn appeared.

"And Ash has decided to start with Heracross!" the MC announced as Heracross' icon appeared in the first slot of Ash's party on the big screen.

"Go, Nidoqueen!" Gary shouted, throwing a Pokeball and summoning a large two-legged Pokémon appeared. She was mostly blue with a cream chest and lower jaw and numerous spikes on her back.

"And Gary's first choice is his Nidoqueen!" the MC announced. Nidoqueen's icon appeared on the top of the screen.

The referee nodded and raised both of his flags. "Begin!"

"Nidoqueen, use Poison Sting!" Gary ordered, taking the initiative. Nidoqueen opened her maw as a large barrage of purple needles was fired in rapid succession at Heracross.

"Heracross, use Horn Attack!" Ash shouted. Heracross' back opened as his wings flapped rapidly. He flew at extremely high speeds towards the Poison and Ground-Type. He quickly flew out of the way of the needle barrage and got into attack range.

Seeing this Gary changed tactics. "Fire Punch!" Nidoqueen's right fist was quickly engulfed in a thick layer of flames as she tried to punch the incoming Heracross.

"Dodge it!" Ash ordered quickly, knowing that a Fire-Type attack would be big trouble for Heracross. The Bug and Fighting-Type quickly changed course. With a flap of his wings, he quickly ascended to the sky, dodging Nidoqueen's attack with ease.

"Use Poison Sting!" Gary shouted. Nidoqueen's maw opened as another barrage of poisonous needles was fired at Heracross. On instinct, Heracross kept dodging the needles as they flew around him, zigzagging in the air as he evaded the attacks.

"And it looks like Gary has Heracross in a tight spot!" the MC announced.

Ash growled. "I need to do something…" he paused. _'Latios, Nidoqueen is a Ground and Poison-Type, right?'_

"_Yep,"_ Latios answered. _"Why?"_

'_I have an idea,'_ Ash thought. "Heracross, use Megahorn on an ice formation!"

Heracross' great horn began to shine a bright white as Heracross charged the ultimate Bug-Type attack. He dove from the sky and smashed into one of the ice formations dotting the field with great force, shattering it and sending ice chunks flying everywhere.

Gary's eyes widened as he realized Ash's plan. "Dodge it!" But it was too late, several large ice chucks collided with Nidoqueen, pushing the Pokemon back. Being part Ground-Type, they caused considerable damage.

"Wow! What a way to use the field to your advantage!" the MC shouted, impressed. The crowd cheered and Delia took lots of photos.

"Megahorn again!" Ash shouted. Heracross' horn shined again as he charged at Nidoqueen.

"Stop it with Fire Punch!" Gary commanded, getting an idea of his own. Nidoqueen's right fist was enveloped in fire as she punched the incoming Heracross's horn, locking them in a stalemate as neither attack gave in. "Hyper beam!" Gary shouted.

Nidoqueen's jaws opened and charged a sphere of orange energy. Seeing this, Ash got alarmed. "Fly away!" he shouted.

Heracross tried to fly away, but in the clash of Megahorn and Fire Punch, Nidoqueen had grabbed Heracross' horn, making it impossible for the beetle-like pokemon to fly away. Nidoqueen unleashed the Hyper Beam mere inches away from Heracross's face, sending the Bug-Type flying into the ice in a powerful blast, shattering it and throwing up a plume of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a knocked-out Heracross was revealed. "Heracross is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. Up on the screen, Heracross' icon faded completely.

"That close-range Hyper Beam proved to be too much for Heracross!" the MC cried dramatically.

Ash returned the downed Pokémon and grabbed another pokeball. "Snorlax, I choose you!" he shouted, throwing the Pokeball and letting the obese Pokémon enter the field. On the screen, Snorlax's icon appeared in Ash's second slot.

"Ash's second choice is a Snorlax! Ash has decided to bring in heavy artillery!" the MC announced. No one laughed at the pun.

"Nidoqueen, use Sludge Bomb!" Gary ordered, knowing that a Pokémon as big as a Snorlax would be quite easy to hit. Nidoqueen opened her mouth and fired a barrage of poison globs at the Normal-Type. The sludge bombs started to hit Snorlax in the chest, pushing him back. It was a good thing that his ability prevented him from being poisoned.

"Hang in there Snorlax, use Body Slam!" Ash shouted. Snorlax grunted and started walking toward the Nidoqueen, despite the constant sludge bombing.

"Dodge quickly, Nidoqueen," Gary ordered, seeing that the huge Pokémon was looming over Nidoqueen. Nidoqueen quickly side-stepped… and slipped on the ice. Thankfully for Gary, the Drill Pokémon skidded across the field, effectively getting out of the way off Snorlax's Body Slam, which cracked the ice a bit.

"What a creative way to dodge!" the MC praised.

Gary sweatdropped. "I had no idea that was going to happen," he muttered. "Hyper Beam!" Nidqueen quickly used her tail to stabilize herself as she opened her mouth, charging a volatile orb of orange energy.

"Quick Snorlax, dodge it!" Ash cried desperately. Unfortunately, the fat Pokémon was unable to get up in time as the Hyper Beam collided with him, causing an explosion that knocked him back over.

"Finish this with Rock Smash," Gary ordered calmly. Nidoqueen ran (with some effort, considering the slippery surface) at Snorlax. The fat Pokemon barely managed to stand up again when he was hit in the chest by the Rock Smash attack, causing him to topple over. Again.

Snorlax growled angrily. Ash took advantage of that. "Ice Punch!" Snorlax skidded a bit and threw an ice-covered fist at the Nidoqueen, who was too close to get out of the way in time. She was sent crashing to the ice by the sheer force of the blow. Snorlax panted, exhaustion overtaking him. Nidoqueen barely managed to come out of the ice, panting heavily.

"Nidoqueen miraculously survives that Ice Punch!" the MC shouted. The crowd cheered at the intense battle. Delia was taking pictures of the battle like crazy in the stands. Professors Elm and Oak sweatdropped.

"Nidoqueen, return!" Gary said, holding a Pokeball in front of him, recalling the Poison and Ground-Type back. Gary grinned. "Time to end this." He hurled another Pokeball. "Blastoise, let's go!" On the field a huge turtle pokemon with two cannons on its back appeared. On the screen, the color around Nidoqueen's icon faded, but the icon itself remained, indicating a still combat-capable pokemon. Blastoise's icon appeared in the second slot.

"Isn't that Gary's starter Pokémon?" Misty asked.

"The very same Squirtle Gary got from Professor Oak? Yeah, that's the one," Brock remarked.

In the stands Professor Oak chuckled. "Looks like Gary wants to make Ash take some heavy losses from the start. Blastoise is his strongest Pokémon!"

"Ash will beat it," Delia said confidently. _'If Gary only knew what Ash has in store for him…His two new Pokémon will ensure his victory! If they can stop a tsunami, then they can certainly defeat Gary!'_

"Snorlax, can you keep up?" Ash asked, concerned for his Pokémon.

"Yes," Snorlax answered. "But I'm taking a long nap after this…"

"Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted. Snorlax opened his mouth and gathered an orb of energy, firing it as an orange energy beam.

"Hydro Pump!" Gary shouted. Blastoise's two cannons angled themselves downwards, aiming at the incoming Hyper Beam. A colossal spray of high-pressure water was fired from both cannons, clashing against the Hyper Beam. The Hyper Beam managed to vaporize the Hydro Pump, but didn't have enough energy to keep going as both attacks cancelled each other perfectly.

"A clash of pure power! Both of these Pokémon are real powerhouses!" the Mc cried.

Taking advantage of the fact that a Pokémon must rest after using Hyper Beam, Gary ordered his next attack. "Hydro Pump!" Blastoise aimed his cannons and fired another powerful stream of high-pressure water. It collided with Snorlax head-on and pushed him back a few meters.

The blast was too much for the already tired Snorlax, that added to the damage he suffered from the battle against Nidoqueen was enough to knock out the huge Pokémon. He toppled over, his eyes turned into swirls.

"Snorlax is unable to continue battling!" The Referee called.

Ash sighed. "Return Snorlax, take a good long nap." On the screen, Snorlax's icon faded. _'This is bad, I've lost two Pokémon and he still hasn't lost a single one!'_ Ash thought desperately.

"_Calm down Ash, you can turn this around easily, just think clearly_," Latias chided him gently. Ash smiled and grabbed his next Pokeball.

"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash shouted, releasing Bayleef. She smiled at him and winked.

"Ash makes an intelligent choice. Will the type advantage be enough?" the MC wondered. Up on the screen, Bayleef's icon appeared in the third slot of Ash's team.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Gary shouted. Blastoise's cannons aimed and fired a colossal torrent of water at the Leaf Pokemon.

"Bayleef, use Vine Whip on the Ice!" Ash shouted. Bayleef got the hint and extended one of her vines, wrapping it around one of the ice formations and reeling herself in, using the slippery ice to make it easier. By the time the Hydro Pump hit, she was long gone. "Now, use Body Slam!" Ash shouted. Bayleed released her vine whip and used the momentum of the skidding to power up her next attack.

"Catch her with Bite!" Gary ordered. Blastoise quickly opened its mouth and caught Bayleef by the leaf on her head. Blastoise swung her around and slammed her to the floor of the arena. "Throw it!" Gary shouted. Blastoise did a full body spin, sending Bayleef flying and crashing into an ice formation, breaking it and causing a small haze to cover the area.

"What a devastating combination!" the MC cried.

Ash closed his eyes. He sensed that through the haze, almost mist, Bayleef was alright and standing up. "Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted.

A flurry of razor sharp leafs went flying at Blastiose. "Use Rapid Spin!" Gary shouted. Blastoise tucked all its limbs inside his shell and began spinning, easily deflecting the Razor Leaf attack.

"And that, folks, is a very nice defense!" the MC remarked. The crowd cheered.

"Synthesis!" Ash shouted. Bayleef began absorbing the sun's rays as her body emitted a faint glow, healing a bit of the damage she had taken. "Now, use Solar Beam!" Ash shouted. Bayleef's sunray absorption got faster as she charged her strongest attack.

"Keep spinning!" Gary ordered. Blastoise complied and continued the Rapid Spin. Bayleef unleashed her Solar Beam, a magnificent blinding white beam glistening with the sun's power. Surprisingly, the Solar Beam was torn apart by Blastoise's very quick spinning. "Now use Hydro Pump!" Gary ordered. As the Solar Beam ended, Blastoise's limbs extended from the Shell, effectively stopping his spin. He fired a blast of high-pressurized water at the Grass-Type. She was hit and slammed into the ice rather hard again, knocking her out.

"Bayleef is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called.

Ash recalled her back to her Pokeball. "You did great, Bayleef..."

"Now that three of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon have been knocked out, we will have a five minute rest," the MC informed.

Ash walked back to the bench and took seat. "Man… this looks bad, I've lost three Pokémon, and Gary hasn't lost a single one. I think I'll lose at this rate," Ash muttered sadly.

"_Don't __give up yet, Ash,"_ Latios said calmly. _"You still have your three strongest fighters left."_

"He has a point," Brock noted. "Latios, Pikachu and Charizard are all very strong; they won't get beaten so easily."

"And besides," Misty started. "Gary's Nidoqueen already took a lot of damage, and his Blastoise must be a bit tired after so many Hydro Pumps."

"Yeah, thanks guys," Ash said happily, smiling at his friends.

"_See, cheer up! I'm sure that you can still win!"_ Latias telepathed cheerfully. Bianca nodded in agreement. Latias flew in and gave Ash a small hug, causing him to jump of surprise. _"Good Luck!" _She heard Latios snicker. _"Don't comment, you!"_

Ash relaxed a bit after hearing her cheers. He waited for the rest time to be over.

"Both trainers return to your respective sides!" the Referee called once the five minutes were up. Ash and Gary returned to the trainer boxes drawn on the ground.

"Gary, Gary, he's our man. If he can't do it, no one can! Go...Gary!" Gary's group of cheerleaders cheered again. Brock kept a straight face, knowing that either Latias or Misty was probably watching him.

Gary was the first to grab a Pokeball. "Umbreon, go!" Gary shouted as he threw the Pokeball to the field. A four-legged black pokemon with golden rings and deep red and black eyes appeared. Ash nodded to Pikachu. The Electric-Type jumped down and entered the field. On the screen, Pikachu appeared in Ash's forth slot and Umbreon in Gary's third slot.

"So, Gary has chosen Umbreon while Ash has sent out Pikachu!" the MC stated the obvious.

Umbreon laughed when she saw Pikachu. "Ah, you again. Ready for another defeat?"

"Not this time. It's payback time!" Pikachu snickered.

"The last time we fought I defeated you while I was an Eevee. What hope do you have now that I have evolved?" Umbreon taunted.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, seeing that their little 'trash-talking' was over. Pikachu ran at Umbreon at high speeds.

Umbreon sighed as she saw the incoming Pikachu. "Here we go again…"

"Use Double Team!" Gary shouted. Umbreon ran too, but as she did, numerous copies of herself were being left behind.

Pikachu stopped and looked around at the twenty Umbreon copies surrounding him. "Here we go again," Pikachu chuckled. "You know Umbreon, the trainer sometimes matters a lot, as you'll soon find out." Umbreon gave him a confused look. "Ash!" Pikachu shouted. By then, Ash's eyes were already closed as he searched for the real Umbreon.

"Pikachu, the real one is standing on top of the ice behind you!" Ash shouted. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Umbreon gasped. "What! How di-" She couldn't finish as she was struck by a lightning bolt. She shrieked in agony.

"Umbreon!" Gary cried as the copies dissipated. _'How did Ash do that?'_ "Umbreon, cover yourself with the ice!" Umbreon jumped back, putting the ice formation she had been standing on between herself and Pikachu, blocking the thunderbolt.

"And amazingly, Ash discovers the real Umbreon! How did he do it?" the MC wondered.

Umbreon looked at Ash and growled. "Just how did he make out the real me?" she wondered aloud. By Ash's Mareepish laugh, something told her that Pikachu's trainer had understood her.

"Iron Tail," Ash ordered calmly. Umbreon snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Pikachu jumping over the ice, his tail glowing a bright white.

"Dodge quickly," Gary shouted. Umbreon quickly sidestepped. The attack cleaved a large mark in the battlefield's ice floor, but just like Heracross before, the attack sent a lot of ice flying, most of it hitting Umbreon.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Gary shouted. Umbreon opened her mouth and gathered a powerful sphere of shadows, firing it at Pikachu. Pikachu swung his still active iron-hard tail and destroyed the Shadow Ball before it could hit him.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Ash shouted. Pikachu's cheeks crackled as he fired a potent blast of electricity at the Moonlight Pokemon. She shrieked as another painful amount of electricity coursed through her.

"Massive damage for Umbreon! Can it survive!" the MC cried dramatically.

"Use Faint Attack!" Gary shouted. Without warning, Umbreon vanished and slammed into Pikachu from behind, knocking him back.

"Quick attack!" Ash shouted. Pikachu recovered and ran at the Moonlight Pokémon. The Dark-Type couldn't react in time as Pikachu slammed into her and sent her skidding across the ice.

"What a show of speed!" the MC praised. The crowd cheered. Delia complained that since they were moving so fast her pictures wouldn't come out nicely.

"You have truly become stronger," Umbreon remarked through pants.

"Umbreon, Use Shadow Ball!" Gary ordered. Umbreon opened her mouth and fired another concentrated ball of shadow energy.

"Pikachu, dodge and use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. Pikachu jumped sideways, evading the Shadow Ball, and ran toward Umbreon, his tail shining brightly.

"Umbreon, use Last Resort!" Gary shouted. Since Umbreon was in a tight spot and had used most of her attacks, this attack would be quite effective. Umbreon grinned as she charged forward. She began emitting a golden glow as she was coated in the power of the Last Resort.

"Use Thunder on your tail!" Ash shouted. Pikachu used Thunder on himself, his Iron Tail guiding the electricity there as his tail started shining even brighter, sparks and ripples of electricity running through it.

Both Pokémon crashed into each other, Pikachu having swung his hyper-charged tail just before the collision. The shockwave of the impact shattered the ice surrounding them. Both Pokémon were in a stalemate for several seconds, neither wanting to let their trainer down and lose the fight. With a mighty cry, Pikachu pushed his tail forward, breaking Umbreon's Last Resort.

"Wha-" the Moonlight Pokemon had no time to do anything as Pikachu's tail slashed at her. With a blinding flash, she was sent crashing into the ice, knocking her out.

"Yes!" Pikachu shouted excitedly as his tail returned to normal.

"What a spectacular attack!" the MC shouted, clearly impressed.

"Umbreon is unable to battle!" the Referee called as Umbreon's icon faded completely. Gary returned the downed Pokemon.

"_This is good,"_ Latios commented. _"Umbreon would have been a problem for me, but now she's out of the picture."_

"_Yeah, good point,"_ Latias agreed. _"See Ash, Umbreon's defeat will turn the battle in your favor!"_

Ash nodded. "Thanks."

Gary grabbed his next Pokeball. "Alakazam, Let's go!" With a bright flash the Psychic-Type appeared. Alakazam's icon appeared on the screen in Gary's fourth slot. Pikachu gulped, this individual Pokémon species not bringing back good memories.

"And Alakazam is Gary's next choice!" the MC said.

Alakazam looked at Ash. For some reason, he could sense two strong minds near him…but that wasn't his concern. He looked at his opponent, Pikachu. "Ready, Pikachu?" Ash called.

Pikachu nodded. _'I'm on a team with two legendary psychic dragons. It's natural that I've picked up a thing or two about how to evade psychics,'_ he thought. This was true, Pikachu had gotten annoyed that during sparring matches, Latios would use his psychic abilities to turn Pikachu's attacks against him. After a while, Pikachu asked Latios if he could teach him how to evade psychic attacks, and Latios had agreed. So now, Pikachu was truly ready.

Gary smirked. "Alakazam, use Psychic!" Alakazam's eyes glowed as his spoons were surrounded by a blue outline as he got ready to take control of Pikachu's body.

"Pikachu use Agility and Quick Attack!" Ash shouted. Pikachu began running towards the Alakazam at blinding speeds, making it hard for the Alakazam to get an effective grip on his body, and to make matters worse for the Alakazam, every time Pikachu made a turn, he released a small spark of electricity. This just confused Alakazam even more, making it difficult to concentrate only on Pikachu.

Without warning, Pikachu slammed into Alakazam's chest, knocking the wind out of him. "Now, Pikachu, use Thunder!" Ash ordered. Pikachu clung to Alakazam's chest and released a potent Thunder attack. The Alakazam cried in pain.

"What a devastating attack! Tons of Damage!" the MC cried.

"Ha! You can't control my electricity with your mind if it never leaves our bodies!" Pikachu remarked, the direct electric shock with body contact being unable to be repelled or countered with Psychic powers.

Gary growled. He hadn't expected Alakazam's psychic powers to be countered like that. "Shake him off with an Ice Punch!" Alakazam's fist was covered in ice as he punched Pikachu off, sending the Electric-Type flying.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Pikachu's cheeks sparked violently as he fired a powerful bolt at the Alakazam.

"Alakazam, use Psychic!" Gary shouted. Alakazam's eyes glowed as he used his Psychic powers to 'grab' the electric bolt and send it back at Pikachu. However, this was exactly what Ash and Pikachu wanted.

"Iron Tail!" Ash ordered, seeing that Gary had fallen for his trap. Pikachu's tail shined a bright white as it became iron-hard. He charged at Alakazam, the returned electric bolt being guided to his tail and absorbed safely. Once again his tail was hyper charged as it crackled with electricity.

Gary's eyes widened. _'Not that again!'_ He knew that Alakazam would be done for if he took that attack. "Block it!"

Alakazam brought his spoons in front of him. His eyes glowed as he powered up the spoons, not wanting them to break. Pikachu swung the hyper-charged tail again. Alakazam blocked the blow effectively with his spoons… and got shocked because the metal of the spoons conducted the electricity of Pikachu's body.

"Ash repeats the attack, and it's effective once again!" the MC shouted.

"Alakazam, use Teleport!" Gary shouted. Alakazam's body glowed white as he simply disappeared. Pikachu fell on the ice and began looking around for him. "Hyper Beam!" Gary shouted. Pikachu and Ash looked everywhere in alarm.

Suddenly, from behind one of the ice formations, a Hyper Beam came flying at Pikachu. The attack was too fast for him to dodge as it crashed against him, sending him flying as he smacked into one of the walls separating the crowds from the battlefield, followed by an explosion. When the smoke cleared Pikachu was lying there helplessly, his eyes turned into swirls. "Pikachu is unable to battle!" the Referee called as the Electric-Type's Icon faded from the screen, leaving only two slots on Ash's side.

"Pikachu is down too! That means Ash only has two Pokémon remaining. Will they be enough to beat Gary's five remaining Pokémon? Will Ash make a comeback?" the MC wondered.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, running to where Pikachu lay. He cradled the Electric-Type in his arms. "You okay, buddy?"

"That… hurt…" Pikachu mumbled, a bit dizzy.

"Don't worry, buddy. Everything wiill be okay." Ash walked back to the bench and handed Pikachu to Brock, who took the mouse carefully. "Take care of him, okay?" Brock nodded.

Ash walked back to the trainer box and looked at the screen. He had four faded-out icons while Gary only one. Ash was down to two Pokemon and Gary had still five battle-capable pokemon. Ash grabbed his next Pokeball. "Charizard, I choose you!" The large winged Fire-Type appeared with a mighty roar and burst of flame.

Gary frowned in confusion. "Charizard so soon?" He looked at the screen. Five slots on Ash's side had been filled, including the new icon of Charizard._ 'I expected his Charizard to be his last Pokémon. Why would he use it now? Is he desperate? Or does he have something stronger than Charizard in reserve? Hmm…' _

"Charizard is Ash's next choice! Talk about power!" the MC shouted.

Charizard cracked his knuckles. "My turn eh? This'll be good."

"Alakazam, use Psychic!" Gary shouted.

"Charizard, counter with Fire Spin!" Ash shouted. Charizard took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of fire, which quickly shaped into a tornado around him, the base melting the ice. "Fly in!" With a flap of his wings, Charizard flew up inside the Fire tornado. Alakazam managed to get a grip on Charizard in spite of this. The Fire-Type grunted in pain as his body was bombarded with Psychic power. Thankfully, this didn't last long as the fire tornado was too close for the Psychic-Type's liking.

"Dodge it!" Gary ordered. Alakazam let go of Charizard and levitated out of reach of the flames.

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard emerged from the flames and breathed a stream of fire at the Alakazam.

"Teleport and use Thunder Punch!" Gary shouted. Alakazam's body glowed as he disappeared. The Flamethrower struck where Alakazam had been a second ago and melted part of the arena. Alakazam reappeared in front of Charizard and punched him with an electrically-charged fist.

The electricity bothered Charizard because of his type disadvantage, but not as much as it should have. He grinned at the startled expression on the Alakazam's face. "Pikachu zaps harder."

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard opened his jaws and fired a colossal blast of Fire at close range at the Alakazam, who was unable to dodge in time. The fire washed over Alakazam, knocking him out. He landed on the ice with a thud.

"And Charizard makes quick work of Gary's Alakazam!" the MC remarked. "Gary now has four Pokemon remaining while Ash only has two!"

"Alakazam is unable to bettle!" the Referee called. On the screen, Alakazam's icon faded.

Gary returned him and grabbed a pokeball. "Blastoise! Let's go!" The Large turtle pokemon appeared once more. On the screen, the color around Blastoise's icon returned.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Charizard spat another stream of fire directly at the Water-Type.

"Rapid-Spin!" Gary ordered. Blastoise tucked all its limbs back into its shell and started spinning rapidly, deflecting the flames. This caused more and more of the field to start melting.

"Change to Fire Spin!" Ash shouted. The flames quickly engulfed Blastoise in a tornado of fire.

"What an attack! Will this mean trouble for Blastoise!" the MC trailed on dramatically.

"Hydro Pump!" Gary shouted. Out of the flames, a blast of water came out, hitting Charizard and pushing him back as the tornado died down. "Hydro Pump again!"

"Fly up!" Ash shouted. Charizard flapped his great wings and flew up, evading the water attack.

"Keep up the Hydro Pumps!" Gary ordered. Blastiose kept bombarding Charizard with stream after stream of water as Charizard kept responding with Flamethrowers, but the Fire-Type couldn't get any decent shot because of the constant attacks. He gave a small cry of pain as one the Hydro-Pumps managed to hit him. He panted; he had taken a lot of damage already.

"Looks like Charizard is in a tough situation!" the MC noted. One of the flamethrowers hit Blastoise, but it didn't do much.

Ash growled. "I have to think of something…" It was then that he noticed the battlefield had puddles everywhere. The field was melting from the heat of Charizard's attacks. One of Blastioise's feet sank a bit in the ice, causing the Hydro Pump he had fired to miss. "Charizard, melt the field!" Ash shouted. This would not only destabilize Blastoise, but it would mean no ice, so Latios wouldn't be so affected by the field!

Charizard looked confused as to why Ash would want that, but then again he had a weird trainer. He complied and began firing Flamethrowers all over the battlefield, slowly causing the ice to melt. "Okay… What's Ash up to now?" Gary wondered.

"We are all probably wondering, why is Charizard attacking the field?" the MC asked.

Soon, the field was halfway melted and started forming a pool. All ice battlefields were frozen layers about six feet deep to make the ice thick enough to not only support heavy Pokemon, but also so that it wasn't destroyed so easily. Charizard's flamethrowers were too much, however. Now, the field was a large pool with a few ice platforms. Blastoise was on one of them. "Wow, the battlefield is now a water field! But, why did Ash want this?" the MC wondered

"Now Charizard, use Seismic Toss!" Charizard dove towards the Blastoise.

"Oh no, Blastoise, dive into the pool!" Gary shouted. Blastoise quickly moved to enter the water, but he wasn't fast enough as Charizard scooped him up, flying high to the air.

"Blastoise, use Bite!" Gary shouted. Blastoise bit on Charizard's shoulder. The dragon-like pokemon flinched from the pain. That bite was sure lo leave a mark…

"Add a Fire Spin!" Ash shouted at the Flying Pokemon. Charizard spat a spiral of fire which quickly covered both Charizard and Blastoise. Charizard began making circles in the sky, adding more and more momentum to the attack, the flames engulfing both of them never subsiding. He dived for the battlefield, aiming for one of the remaining ice platforms to make the crash harder. Charizard slammed Blastoise onto the ice platform with all his might, shattering it completely. Blastiose kept plowing down until he crashed into the bottom of the pool with a loud impact.

Charizard flew up a bit and landed on another platform, panting from tiredness. The stadium watched with bated breath, waiting for Blastoise to emerge. The Water-Type finally emerged… upside-down with swirls for eyes. "Blastoise is unable to battle!" the referee called. Blastoise's icon faded, leaving Nidoqueen and two unused slots. Gary returned the defeated water type.

"Unbelievable!" the MC cried. "Charizard has defeated two of Gary Oak's Pokémon! Now this match is three Pokémon remaining for Gary, and two for Ash!"

Gary growled. He had never expected Ash to defeat his Blastoise, but still, he had three Pokémon remaining. "Nidoqueen, go!" Gary shouted, releasing the Poison and Ground-Type, she landed on one of the remaining Ice platforms. "Use Hyper Beam!" he called. Nidoqueen opened her mouth and began gathering energy.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. Charizard spat a stream of fire just as Nidoqueen fired her Hyper Beam. Both attacks collided at the center of the arena, the volatile energy of the Hyper Beam exploding on contact and distorting the surface of the water.

"Charizard, Seismic toss!" Ash called. Charizard waited a few seconds for the smoke to clear a bit. When he was sure of Nidoqueen's location he flapped his wings and flew towards her.

"Nidoqueen, Stone Edge!" Gary shouted. Two blue rings surrounded Nidoqueen, turning into small sharp -looking rocks.

Charizard's eyes widened in alarm when he saw the attack. Knowing that a Rock-Type attack would cause colossal damage to a Flying and Fire-Type like Charizard, Ash changed his order. "Dodge quickly!"

Charizard flapped his wings, attempting to get out of the way, but it was too late. Nidoqueen sent a barrage of sharp rocks at Charizard. The rocks collided with him and slammed him into the wall. The double super-effective attack was too much, and Charizard fainted, his icon fading from the screen.

"Charizard is unable to battle!" the Referee called as Ash returned the downed Pokémon.

"And after a brave performance, defeating two of Gary Oak's pokemon, Ash Ketchum's Charizard has been defeated. Now Ash's remaining Pokémon must defeat Gary Oak's remaining three if Ash wants to win the battle," the MC informed the crowd.

Ash looked at the screen. On his side were five faded pokemon icons, while in Gary's side was his still active Nidoqueen and two unused slots. However, he wasn't worried. Gary took notice of this. _'I defeated his Charizard. Why isn't he upset?'_

"Ready?" Ash asked quietly.

"_Yes,"_ Latios replied. Latios began to hover inside the arena, still invisible. The Stadium watched, wondering what Ash's final Pokémon would be.

"_Good luck brother,"_ Latias telepathed in a gentle tone.

Latios took a deep breath as he nodded, preparing himself to drop his invisibility and reveal himself to the world…

* * *

And Chapter 14 ends! I hope you all like this chapter! Until next Chapter!


	15. A Legendary Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: And here is chapter 15! Hope all my dear readers didn't get too mad at me for the Cliffhanger… Hehehe. As an act of kindness from you all… please leave a REVIEW! XD

* * *

Everyone in Silver Stadium was tense. Finally, the conclusion of this impressive match was near. Only one Pokémon remained for Ash, and yet Gary still had three Pokémon left. Those were overwhelming odds, and many people thought that Ash was already defeated.

Gary chuckled. "There's no way you can win Ashy-boy. One Pokémon can't beat three!" Gary said calmly. _'I still have Nidoqueen, Gyarados and Arcanine to deal with Ashy-boy's final choice. I've already won.'_

"Good luck Gary, you'll need it…" Ash replied.

Gary frowned. "Why?"

"Latios! I choose you!" Ash shouted, thrusting his arm forward eagerly.

Gary stared at Ash. "La-wha-os? You didn't even throw a Pokéball! Just what are you planning?"

Suddenly, the air in front of Ash began to ripple slightly. Gary got the feeling that _something_ was there. "Okay…."

"What is Ash planning?" the MC wondered. The Stadium watched intently.

Suddenly, before everyone's astonished eyes, a large shower of blue sparkles materialized into a streamlined airborne draconic figure as Latios dropped his invisibility, allowing himself to the seen. The entire stadium went quiet as the grave.

Gary's eyes widened. His jaw dropped slightly. "W-What the hell is t-that!" he stuttered. For the second time in his life, he was seeing a Pokémon he didn't recognize. He took out his PokéDex and pointed it at the blue Pokémon that hovering in front of Ash.

"Pokémon unknown, no data available," the PokéDex said in a mechanical voice. Gary's blood chilled. '_Just like at the Viridian Gym…'_

Finally the MC recovered. "What is that!" he bellowed. "Ash Ketchum has chosen an unknown Pokémon! What could this mysterious Pokémon be!" The crowed look in awe at Latios.

On the screen, Latios' icon appeared in the last of Ash's Pokémon slots. It was a wonder they had the icon in the first place. If it hadn't been for the earlier registration, they would have had to use a "?" as the icon.

Gary was currently stunned beyond belief. He had read every book of his grandfather's and had memorized every Pokémon in them, and yet the one before him was a Pokémon he had never heard of before. _'I need to be careful, I don't know what that is or what abilities it has. From the announcer's reaction, he doesn't know either. Does Ashy-boy posses a Pokémon so rare that no one knows about it?'_ Gary wondered.

Nidoqueen paled slightly and tensed visibly. All Pokémon, no matter the type or lifestyle, recognized a Legendary Pokémon when they saw one, and Nidoqueen knew, even if she had never before seen the Pokémon before her, that she was facing a Legendary. She knew that Legendary Pokémon were akin to gods, and hoped she wasn't going to get hurt too badly.

Ash chuckled. "Go ahead Gary, the first move is yours."

Gary looked stunned. He wondered how to attack a Pokémon like that. He didn't even know the type it was! _'It's simply floating, so that means that it's using levitation…so it's part psychic. It also looks like a Flying-Type, so I'll treat it like a Psychic and Flying-Type for now.'_ "Nidoqueen, use Hyper Beam!" he shouted, wanting to attack first. Since Nidoqueen was part Poison-type, a Psychic attack would be devastating. Nidoqueen opened her mouth and fired an orange beam at Latios, who hadn't moved an inch since revealing himself.

"Use Psychic on the water," Ash commanded calmly, suddenly feeling very confident about having a Legendary Pokémon on his side. Latios' eyes glowed as the water in the battlefield started rising, forming a large wall of water between Latios and Nidoqueen, nearly knocking her off her ice platform. The Hyper Beam collided against the water wall but had no effect. With a flash of Latios's eyes, the wall was sent rapidly across the pool towards Nidoqueen, crashing into her and knocking her out almost at once due to her type disadvantage.

"No!" Gary gasped.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle!" the Referee called, raising the corresponding flag. Nidoqueen's icon faded from the screen.

"Impressive! This mystery Pokémon defeated Gary Oak's Nidoqueen without moving an inch! And what a tremendous display of power!" the MC cried excitedly. The crowd was still quiet, trying to fathom just what Ash had sent to the battle.

Gary growled as he returned his downed Nidoqueen. _'Yep, it's a Psychic-type alright…but to lift that much water…he practically lifted the entire arena! And so quickly, not even my Alakazam can do that! Am I… facing a Legendary Pokémon?'_ "Gyarados! I choose you!" Gary shouted, hoping that his Gyarados' power would help him win against this tough opponent.

A Large sea serpent Pokémon appeared in the pool. It growled and glared menacingly at Latios. Latios glared back at the Gyarados, and suddenly the Gyarados didn't feel so powerful or scary. Up on the screen, Gyarados' icon appeared on the fifth slot of Gary's side.

"And Gary has chosen a Gyarados to fight Ash Ketchum's mystery Pokémon!" the MC announced. Thankfully for the MC some of the officials of the Pokémon League had received a bit of information on Latios from Professor Oak, so they were on their way to his cabin so that he could tell the bewildered stadium what Latios was.

"Gyarados, use Waterfall!" Gary shouted. Gyarados roared and charged at Latios, a large volume of water following along and coating the atrocious Pokemon.

'_Time for our little surprise…__ Ready, Latios?'_ Ash thought.

"_Always,"_ Latios answered.

'_Latios, dodge!'_ Ash thought. Latios tucked his forearms tightly to his body and flew upwards at high speeds, causing Gyarados to crash into the edge of the pool where Latios had been. _'DragonBreath,'_ Ash thought. Latios turned and spat a large stream of white flames directly at the Gyarados.

"Why is it attacking without Ash saying so?" Gary wondered. "Gyarados, counter with your own DragonBreath!" he shouted. Gyarados opened its jaws and exhaled a jet of green flames. Both DragonBreath attacks collided and cancelled each other out.

'_Steel Wing,'_ Ash thought. Latios' wings shined a bright white as he dove at the Atrocious pokemon. Gary had no time to order anything as Latios moved too fast, by the time Gary was about to shout something to Gyarados, Latios had already slashed at the Water-Type, leaving a large cut on its side. _'Turn around and attack again!'_ Ash thought. Latios flew around and slashed at the Gyarados with his wings again, this time in the other side.

"Wow, that Pokémon sure is fast!" the MC shouted. The crowd cheered.

Gary growled. "Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" Gyarados opened its jaws and fired a powerful torrent of water at the Eon Pokémon.

'_Counter it with __Psychic!'_ Ash thought. Latios' eyes glowed as he used a Psychic attack to stop the water, causing it to harmlessly fall into the pool.

Gary couldn't believe his eyes. "Why is it attacking without you saying anything!" Gary shouted to Ash. An annoyed look crossed Latios' face at being called an 'it'.

Ash laughed. "As you may have noticed, Latios is a Psychic-Type. What I'm doing is thinking my commands, and Latios is reading my mind to hear them. So basically, I am commanding him, it's just that you can't hear it."

"So, it's called a Latios," Gary muttered. "If I can't hear Ashy-boy's commands, I can't anticipate his attacks…this is bad."

'_Turn invisible,'_ Ash thought. Latios nodded. His body was covered in blue shimmering lights as he disappeared into thin air.

"And that Pokémon has turned invisible again! What is it planning?" the MC wondered. Again, Latios got annoyed; he was no 'it'!

'_Tackle it!'_ Ash thought. Latios rushed at the Gyarados and slammed into its side, causing the Atrocious Pokémon to give a small cry of pain as he crashed into the side of the pool.

"Gyarados, slam the water with your tail!" Gary shouted. Gyarados made a wide swing with its tail, hitting the water and creating a rather large splash. Some of the water soaked Latios, temporarily revealing him. "Now, use Iron Tail!" Gary shouted. Gyarados' tail became solid white and steel hard. He made another wide swing, hitting Latios in the side.

Latios winced in pain but quickly recovered and at Ash's mental command, he fired a DragonBreath at the Gyarados. The Water and Flying-Type cried in pain as the flames enveloped it. Using the Gyarados's temporary distraction, Latios used a Psychic attack to instantly dry his feathers, quickly hiding from sight again.

"What an impressive battle, folks! This unique Pokémon sure is tough!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

"Hyper Beam!" Gary shouted. Gyaradon fired a huge orange energy beam at where it supposed Latios was.

'_Return it!__'_ Ash thought. Latios quickly exerted a large amount of his psychic powers to 'grab' the Hyper Beam, slowly turning it around until it was heading right back towards the Atrocious Pokémon. The attack collided and created a large explosion. Gyarados crashed to the side of the pool from the force of the blow.

"Wow, just how strong is that Psychic-Type to return an entire Hyper Beam? Impressive!" the MC cried.

"Finish this with Luster Purge!" Ash shouted. Latios revealed himself in preparation for his strongest attack.

"What is that!" Gary wondered. He had never heard of that attack before. He looked at Gyarados. The Water-Type was just barely recovering from that Hyper Beam, and to make matters worse, he had to rest a few seconds after using the attack. He could do nothing but watch whatever attack Ash had summoned go to work.

Latios' body started shining brightly as he gathered his power, turning into a sphere of light as he charged at the Water-Type. Usually Luster Purge could be used as both as a long range attack by firing it as a projectile, or as a close-range attack by ramming the opponent with it. In this occasion, Latios preferred the close-range version.

Gary's eyes widened as he saw the huge energy sphere collide with Gyarados, releasing a huge blast of light that forced everyone to cover their eyes. Finally, the light died down and Gary looked up only to see Latios floating calmly on Ash's side of the field, and as for his Gyarados, it was floating upside down with swirls for eyes. "Gyarados is unable to battle!" the Referee called. Gyarados' icon faded completely from the screen.

"And with an unknown attack, this Pokémon has defeated Gyarados. Now both trainers are down to their last pokemon!" the MC announced. A league official entered the room and handed him a note with information on Latios.

"What was that?" asked an amazed Professor Elm.

"I don't know…" Professor Oak answered. "But Latios is certainly demonstrating why he's a Legendary Pokemon. That was one powerful attack." Delia kept taking pictures.

Latias giggled mentally. _"I think you overdid it with that Luster Purge."_

Latios chuckled as Gary returned his Gyarados._ "Maybe…"_

"Listen Folks," the MC started. "I've received a bit of info. Apparently the Pokemon before us is called 'Latios', and is a Legendary Pokémon!" It took a few second for the crowd to register this. They started whispering to each other in astonishment. "Latios is apparently a Dragon/Psychic-Type, and that's all the info we have for now!" The crowd applauded, awed at getting the chance to see a Legendary Pokémon right before their eyes. "Impressive…A real Legendary Pokémon, here at the Silver Conference…unbelievable!" the MC cried, clearly impressed.

Latios laughed _"Took them long enough."_

Ash and Latias had to hold back a laugh at Gary's shocked face. _"Yeah,"_ Latias agreed.

Gary looked at the field. There were no ice platforms left, so there was no place to stand, just one huge pool. Reluctantly, he grabbed his last Pokéball. "Arcanine, Go!" The large Fire dog-like pokemon was released to the edge of the field. Up on the screen, Arcanine's icon appeared in the last of Gary's slots.

"And an Arcanine is Gary's last Pokémon! Can an Arcanine fight the power of this Legendary Pokémon!" the MC bellowed.

"_Ash, don't order me to psychically return any Fire-__Type Attacks,"_ Latios warned.

Ash blinked in confusion. "Why not?"

"_Arcanine have an ability called 'Flash Fire' which allows them to absorb any Fire-Type attack to make their own far stronger,"_ Latios answered.

Ash got even more confused. "But how can they absorb fire? Through their fur?"

"_Well, I don't __really know,"_ Latios admitted. _"But I don't intend to find out. A powered-up fire attack might really burn my feathers, and it's troublesome to keep them neat." _Everyone on Ash's bench sweatdropped.

"_Brother,"_ Latias started. _"It only takes us a few seconds to treat our feathers to keep them clean. We do it psychically."_

"_I don't care, I don't intend to see my feathers ruined," _Latios complained. Latias sweatdropped.

In the meantime, Gary had been figuring out what to do. "Arcanine, Fire Blast!" Arcanine opened his mouth and fired a powerful blast of fire at Latios, taking the shape of a five-pointed star.

'_Block it!'_ Ash commanded. Latios' eyes glowed as he used his Psychic powers to lift more water from the pool, creating a protective sphere of water around him, extinguishing the flames.

Arcanine growled and paced around the edge of the pool. Ash chuckled. "Well, Gary, looks like Arcanine has problems with the water. Let me help you there."

Gary looked confused. "Huh?"

Ash laughed. "Latios, lift the water." Latios' eyes glowed a bright white as he lifted all the water in the pool-like battlefield. The stadium watched in awe as Latios managed to levitate all of the water high in the air.

"Wow… No wonder Latios is a Legendary Pokémon," the MC commented.

Arcanine yelped, knowing what was next. "Dodge with ExtremeSpeed!" Gary shouted frantically.

The floating mass of water descended upon Arcanine. The Fire-Type desperately ran to the side, quickly becoming a blur as it used one of the fastest Pokémon moves to try and dodge the water. Knowing that Arcanine was eventually going to try and slam in to him, Latios withdrew a small amount of water from the big bubble and held it close enough to create a shield should Arcanine try and attack him.

Arcanine disappeared from Latios' sight. Latios wasn't too surprised by this, he knew that a move as fast as ExtremeSpeed could fool his eyes, so he decided to rely on something that was far faster and more precise to see: His mind. Arcanine's speed could play tricks on his eyes, but not on the sharpness of his mind. He closed his eyes and began to sense Arcanine's movements.

He immediately detected Arcanine behind him. Latios created a column of water and flung it over his shoulder. Arcanine was forced to dodge to the side, becoming visible again just as a series of water spheres were hurled at him.

"Flamethrower!" Gary shouted. Arcanine opened his mouth and exhaled a large stream of fire, managing to vaporize the water spheres. What Arcanine couldn't see was the huge blast of water coming from above him. Thankfully for the Fire-Type, Gary did. "Use ExtremeSpeed!"

Arcanine quickly took off and became a blur, dodging the water blast Latios had shaped with his psychic powers, Latios had his eyes closed and was relying on his mind to sense Arcanine. _'Latios, can't you get a hold of his body with psychic?'_ Ash thought.

"_He's moving too fast!"_ Latios replied.

'_Trick him,'_ Ash thought._ 'Make him dodge to break his ExtremeSpeed. When he does, grab with Psychic to end this once and for all!'_

In the meantime, Arcanine was running around, avoiding Latios' psychically manipulated water attacks. "Wow, what an impressive battle folks!" the MC bellowed. Everyone cheered loudly.

Arcanine ran at Latios, his body a blur from the sheer speed. Latios conjured a water wall and placed it between himself and Arcanine, forcing the Fire-Type to change course, running around the barrier. He charged at the Eon Pokémon, hitting him in the chest and pushing him back. Latios cried in pain, but even so, getting hit by Arcanine was just exactly what he had wanted.

When the Fire-Type managed to land the ExtremeSpeed attack on Latios, Arcanine had stopped long enough for Latios to get a psychic grip on him. Latios chuckled. "Game over." The Arcanine yelped as he was yanked off the ground just in front of Latios. The Fire-Type began to squirm in pain as his body was bombarded by Latios' mental powers.

Latios started lowering the water back to the pool. Ash grinned. "Finish this with Luster Purge."

Latios' body started glowing brightly as he charged his ultimate attack. Arcanine could only watch as Latios readied himself to finish him off, completely helpless under Latios' mental hold. "Looks like this is it for Arcanine folks!" the MC shouted.

Latios fired the Luster Purge. The light sphere engulfed the Fire-Type, slamming him into the center of the pool, creating a bright explosion that temporarily blinded everyone again.

When the light died down, Arcanine was floating in the water, completely out cold. "Arcanine is unable to continue battling. Victory of this match goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Latios!" the Referee called.

"We have a winner!" the MC bellowed. "Looks like the Legendary Pokémon Latios proved to be too much for Gary Oak!" The entire stadium applauded.

Ash just stood there for a second; taking in the fact that he had finally defeated his eternal rival Gary Oak. Latios calmly hovered to where he was, just floating there beside him, until Ash burst into cheers. "Yeah!" he cried loudly as he threw his arms around Latios' slender neck in a hug. "We won! We won!" Latios smiled and gave a small hug back. Latias flew up and gave them both a hug. Bianca thought that scene was absolutely cute and began drawing it.

The stadium was simply awed. For the first time in their lives, they had seen a Legendary Pokémon. A lot of people were impressed, many younger trainers were jealous, and others looked at the boy hugging the Legendary Pokémon with a smile, touched by the obvious bond between the Legendary and the human. And for more extreme reactions, a few dozen childish fangirls had hearts over the eyes at the sight of the boy (Macey included). Looks like Latias and Misty are going to be busy keeping Ash safe from a bunch of rabid fangirls. And some young trainers and kids were dying to see Latios up close… Maybe also to get an autograph.

Delia smiled happily in the stands as she took a picture of the hug. "Told you so, Oak. I knew Ash would win."

Professor Oak and Elm didn't respond. Both were too busy drooling because they had witnessed a Legendary Pokémon in action, any Pokémon Professor's dream. "Wait until we tell this to Professors Birch and Rowan, they'll be so jealous!" Elm gushed.

"Oh yes," Oak agreed.

Delia laughed. "They probably saw it on TV too, so it won't be anything new to them."

"Oh, no, they saw it on TV… but we saw it live! And besides, we got to meet that Legendary, they on the other case didn't!" Professor Oak argued.

"But still, what was that attack?" Professor Elm wondered.

"Yeah, we'll have to ask Ash about it," Professor Oak agreed. "That Luster Purge thing sure is powerful; it didn't fail to defeat a Gyarados and an Arcanine."

"Also, how is it that Latios can turn invisible?" Elm wondered.

"I don't know, maybe it's something in his feathers?" Oak guessed.

"Think can we examine him a bit?" Elm wondered.

"As long as he doesn't kill us for it," Oak deadpanned.

"Brighten up! We'd be the first Pokémon Professors in history to look at a Legendary so closely and actually examine it!" Elm said, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Hey, Oak," Delia started. The professor turned to him. "Do you think that Latios could have defeated all of Gary's team by himself?" Delia asked.

Oak hummed in thought. "Latios is certainly quite strong, but the key factor in this battle was that the two Pokémon of Gary's that could have truly been a challenge for Latios were knocked out sooner, namely Umbreon and Alakazam," he answered.

Delia smiled. "My boy has made it to the quarter finals. I'm so proud."

"What does that have to do with anything I just said?" Oak asked.

"Nothing, just thought I'd mention it," Delia said. Oak sweatdropped.

Meanwhile, a million things were coursing through the mind of a trainer from Hoenn named Harrison. Since he was from Hoenn, he knew quite well what Latios was. _'I can't believe it, some kid from Kanto shows up having a Latios! This is bad; I'm up against him next round.' _

He looked down to the boy as he celebrated his victory with the Eon Pokémon. _'My Johto team isn't strong enough to fight off a Latios, and the rest of that boy's team is very powerful, I'll need my Hoenn Team if I want to win,' _Harrison thought.

He chuckled. "I have to admit I'm a bit jealous," he muttered. "I've always wanted a Legendary. Well, any trainer wants one…"

He turned and walked towards one of the stadium exits._ 'It's a good thing that I have a few Pokémon that may be some nice Latios-counters...'_

_

* * *

_Lorenzo smiled at what he was seeing on TV. Too bad he couldn't go there himself, he was too busy with his multiple jobs. He had to see that the museum of Altomare kept on running smoothly, and also had to attend to the Gondola workshop. He at least had let Bianca go to Silver Town since she had been a little depressed ever since Latios and Latias had left.

It looked like Latios was becoming stronger with each passing day now that he knew how to battle properly thanks to the care his trainer had given him. He knew that Altomare would be truly safe in the future.

* * *

"Wow, the twerp's got a Legendary," Jessie muttered.

"He finally got around to catching one…why didn't he do it sooner? He's met Legendaries here and there and he didn't catch a single one!" James said.

"Who cares about dat!" Meowth shouted. "Dose Pokemon are going directly to da boss!"

"Yeah!" Jessie agreed.

"Hold on a second!" James shouted. They turned to look at him.

"What?" Jessie questioned.

"Listen, when we fight the twerps, they always beat us, now that they have a Legendary Pokémon, they'll beat us in a second! That Pokémon defeated an Arcanine, Gyarados and Nidoqueen like they were nothing! Imagine how it'd beat our Pokémon around!" James replied.

"Good Point…" Jessie muttered.

"I say we sell more souvenir badges and popcorn! That way we will have the money needed to order a really powerful mecha from Team Rocket's elite headquarters!" James suggested. Both Meowth and Jessie nodded.

"That legendary Pokémon will be ours…" They hissed to each other excitedly.

"Stop slacking and give me my popcorn!" A random person shouted. They sighed and went back to work .

* * *

Meanwhile, in Team Rocket's elite Headquarters, two Team Rocket agents were enjoying a break and watching some TV.

"Finally Professor Sebastian gave us a break…" Annie complained. "That pointy beard is an idiot."

"Shut it Annie!" Oakley snapped. "Anyway, the project Professor Sebastian and Namba are working on seems to be very effective."

"At least Attila and Hun are getting the dirty work for now…" Annie muttered tiredly.

"Anyway, according to Professor Sebastian, the project should be finished soon, in a few days," Oakley continued.

Both continued watching TV. They flipped through a few channels until they landed on a news channel. On the top of the screen the words 'Breaking news' flashed. They raised an eyebrow. This seemed interesting.

The reporter on screen, a young lady, started talking. "Today at the Silver Conference, something shocking has happened: a trainer has used a Legendary Pokémon for one of the League battles. The trainer was down to his last Pokémon while the opponent still had three remaining, yet the Legendary Pokémon had no trouble in defeating all three Pokémon."

The screen shifted and started showing recordings of the battle of Ash and Gary, more specifically, when Latios was being used. Both Annie and Oakley's jaws dropped. "The Hell!" Oakley cursed.

"Wow, looks like the stupid kid got a souvenir from Altomare," Annie commented. "If Latios is there, then no one is guarding the jewel. With that jewel I can make the best necklace ever!" she gushed, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Forget about that damn jewel, we can try to take Latios again…" Oakley suggested.

"But we have to help Professor Pointy," Annie whined.

"But look closely," Oakley muttered, looking at the screen. "Latios seems to have trained a lot since the last time. He defeated three powerful Pokémon effortlessly, it won't be easy."

"I don't care! I want the jewel!" Annie snapped.

Oakley sighed in exasperation. "But I don't think we can beat Latios anymore. Besides, it's more likely that we will get a different assignment once this Project is finished."

"Yeah…" Annie muttered.

"Maybe we can actually be one of the Rocket agents bestowed with the Project's result. If we are, we will use the might of Team Rocket's newest weapon to crush those kids and the Latios! And Latias too, if she's there," Oakley suggested.

Annie sighed. "Whatever…"

Oakley laughed maliciously, waiting for the time when she'd fight Ash and Latios again… and this time, she'd have a new surprise ready.

* * *

And chapter 15 has ended! Hope you all liked Latios' battle!

Team rocket is finishing their new weapon… What might it be?

Anyway,** REVIEW** PLEASE! I'd love that.


	16. Preparing For The Next Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter, but I just started my fifth semester of school, so my schedule was cut in half rather badly. Hehehe, anyway, I'll try to keep up to the best of my ability with this fanfic.

I thank everyone who has reviewed this fic =D Thank you all so much! Keep me happy by reviewing more! Wheee!

* * *

Today was a memorable day at the Johto League Silver Conference. A young Pokémon trainer from a small town in Kanto had actually used a Legendary Pokémon in an official battle, something that was sure to make history.

Ash parted from hugging Latios and raised both hands in the air excitedly, proud over his victory. The stadium applauded the youngster, still awed from witnessing a Legendary Pokémon in battle.

Misty and Brock smiled. "Look at him," Misty began. "He wins a match and he celebrates like he won the whole tournament."

"That's Ash alright," Brock said with a smile. "And considering he beat Gary of all people, he must feel like he's already a Pokémon Master."

"Done!" Bianca exclaimed happily. Misty and Brock turned to look at her.

"Done with what?" Misty asked. Bianca showed them her sketch book and their mouths dropped in astonishment. She had done a perfect sketch of Latios and Ash hugging. Latias was there too.

"Latias didn't celebrate with them," Brock said, analyzing the picture.

"_I did!__ It's just that you didn't see it,"_ Latias telepathed loudly. She floated over and peeked at the picture_. "Show-off…"_

Bianca laughed. "You have some catching up to do, Latias."

"_Anyway,__ I think we should go," _Latias said after she noticed Gary leaving with his heartbroken cheerleader team.

"Sure," Ash agreed as the group walked to the exit of the field. Many people in the stadium also started to leave as there were no more battles for the day, the others would be fought tomorrow. "So Brock, when is my next battle?"

"You just battled and you're already thinking about your next match!" Misty bellowed. "There are other things to life than fighting you know!" Ash chuckled nervously.

Brock looked at his guide book. "In about four days. That's three days for the other six matches of this round and a rest day before the quarter finals start."

"Alright!" Ash said. "So, what are we gonna do in the meantime?"

"As usual, we could train your Pokémon a bit more. Latios might need another attack. Now that the remaining trainers know that you have him, they'll try to find ways to beat him. A new attack might help him," Brock suggested.

Latios sighed. _"No more rock lifting please," _he complained, a nervous tone in his voice. He was invisible at the moment. Even if he had revealed himself mid-stadium, he was still unhappy with remaining visible all the time, so decided to cloak himself as usual. By now they had exited the stadium and were walking to the trainer's hotel.

Latias noticed the subtle nervousness of Latios' tone. _"What's up brother?" _she asked.

"_I'm __still a bit… uneasy about revealing myself,"_ Latios replied.

Ash turned to the space he sensed Latios was floating in. "What do you mean? You didn't seem too affected on the battlefield."

"_Well, I followed Pikachu's advice, I ignored the crowd and everything else as much as I could," _Latios replied. _"Thanks for that, by the way."_

"Sure," Pikachu said. "Don't worry, the fear of battling before so many people will pass soon."

"Alright," Latios muttered, easing up a bit.

Ash changed the topic. "So Brock, what should we train in now?"

Brock took out his Pokemon Breeder's Guide. "Well, even if Latios is quite powerful as he is, he needs a few more attacks to make sure he can cover his weaknesses well. There's only four days until the next match so we should get him to learn one attack for now."

"So what attack should he learn now?" Ash asked.

"I suggest Ice Beam. It's a very powerful attack that hits many Pokémon hard. Also, with the use of Latios' psychic abilities, it can be used as a multi-purpose attack, like he did with the water at the battle," Brock suggested.

"_Ah great, I hate ice,"_ Latios complained telepathically. As a dragon, it was obvious.

"_Me too, __though I like Ice Cream,"_ Latias commented, and remembered that it had been a while since she ate ice cream. Maybe it would be good to get Ash to buy her a bit. Everyone sweatdropped at her comment.

"Well, Ice Beam it is. Ready Latios?" Ash asked.

"_I guess,"_ Latios answered unhappily.

"_I want to learn Ice Beam too!"_ Latias squealed telepathically.

Everyone would have stared at her oddly if they had known where she was hovering. "Why?" Misty asked. "You aren't a battler yet."

"_Who said I wanted Ice Beam for battles__? As I've said before, I'm not interested in fighting, it's just that it's an attack that I like a lot, and I can think up a lot of uses for it,"_ Latias answered. Everyone wondered what Latias would want to do with an Ice Beam.

"Are you sure?" Brock asked. "According to this, Ice Beam is a very tricky move to learn if the Pokémon is not a Water-Type or an Ice-Type."

"_I don't care, I wanna learn it!"_ Latias telepathed back.

"Okay, okay, we'll teach it to you too," Brock said, giving in, mainly because he knew that if he denied Latias she'd probably never let him see another girl in his life ever again. He looked around nervously, but to his dismay, Latias was invisible so he couldn't really see any reaction.

Latias giggled at his terrified thoughts. _'I have the perfect tool to control him…'_

Latios sweatdropped at his sister's thoughts, but quickly pushed the matter aside. _"So, when does the training start?"_ Latios asked.

"We'll wait until tomorrow so we can start fresh in the morning, and we'll train with Ash's team for the next match. We'll register it today," Brock informed.

"Anyway," Ash interrupted. "Brock, how good is my next opponent?" Ash asked, knowing that Brock had seen his next opponent's match earlier.

"Well Ash," Brock started. "You're in for an extremely hard match."

Ash perked up, excited at the prospect of a tough battle. "Why?"

"The trainer you're facing is from the Hoenn region," Brock answered.

"Where's that?" Ash asked.

"The Hoenn Region is a region far from Kanto and Johto, to the southwest across the sea. Hoenn has a different variety of Pokémon from the Kanto and Johto regions, so when you fight your opponent, he may have Pokémon that you've never heard of before," Brock explained.

Ash gulped. "I don't know if I should be worried or excited."

"That and he also seemed to be a rather good trainer. He used many innovative strategies to defeat his opponent," Brock remarked.

"Also, he probably knows that you have Latios, so he'll be ready," Misty added. "A trainer from Hoenn should recognize Latios instantly, so he'll now what to do to fight him."

"_He knows__ what I am?"_ Latios started. _"By tomorrow the whole city will be gossiping about the 'trainer with the Legendary,' don't you think?"_

"They probably are already," Bianca said flatly.

"_Good point,"_ Latios admitted.

Ash smiled excitedly. "So, a trainer from a new Region. I wonder what kinds of new Pokémon I'll get to see. But how will I know how to fight them? I don't know a thing about Hoenn!"

"Well, I could tell you Ash," Brock started. "I know a few things about Hoenn Pokémon, but by knowledge is too limited… and it would look weird if I telling you everything from the bench."

"_I'll tell him,"_ Latios said. _"As a Legendary I know a lot about most existing Pokémon, so I'll tell you anything you need to know."_

"_Me too, I'll help out too,"_ Latias added, giving a happy nod.

"_Besides, we can be very subtle when telling him __since only you guys can hear us,"_ Latios telepathed.

Ash smiled to the twins. "Thanks a lot."

"_You're welcome!"_ Latias telepathed joyfully.

"If I win, I'll go to the semifinals right?" Ash asked.

"Yes Ash," Misty answered. "If you win, you're one of the top four." She paused. "Now I'm impressed…."

Brock laughed. "Yeah, Ash actually has a chance to be in the top four. Amazing, right?"

"Yeah," Misty agreed. Ash smiled, clearly proud of himself, but Misty continued. "It's just Latios, he's doing everything for Ash!" Ash facefaulted.

"Hey! Latios isn't doing everything! I can manage on my own!" Ash countered. "Well, except in the next match."

Everyone laughed at that. They walked for a few minutes in the general direction of the hotel, nothing particularly interesting happening, until…

"There he is!" A clearly excited feminine voice shouted, echoed by various others, causing our heroes to turn around to see a rather large group of people closing in consisting of a dozen immature fangirls, some young trainers and a bunch of TV reporters and other people holding cameras and boom microphones.

Everyone sweatdropped. "Why did we not see something like this coming?" Brock wondered.

"Wonder what they want?" Ash muttered. The others sighed.

Before anyone could tell him Ash was surrounded by the people, pushing everyone else aside. About three different news crews were trying to get an interview. Ash looked nervously at all the people surrounding him as they bombarded him with different comments.

"Just how did you capture a Legendary Pokémon?" A beautiful woman asked, holding a microphone to Ash's face.

Before Ash could even process the question, another reporter said, "For how long have you had that Legendary Pokémon!"

"Can I see the Legendary please!" A young trainer asked, tugging at Ash's sleeve, and by young I mean he was the same age as Ash.

"Can you help me catch my own Legendary?" Another eager trainer asked.

"Will you marry me!" A fangirl asked merrily. A furious spike of jealousy coursed through Latias and Misty when they heard this. Since Latias was invisible in her Pokémon form, she unleashed a powerful psychic attack that would have severely injured the girl's mind... and Latios frantically stopped it with a psychic attack of his own, easily cancelling Latias'. Thankfully, no one noticed. He scolded her mentally.

"Can you be my boyfriend!" Another fangirl asked.

"Can you show us your Legendary Pokémon please? Where is it?" Another trainer asked. And like that, the questions continued. Thankfully, Ash would be rescued soon.

One of the people surrounding Ash made the huge mistake of touching Pikachu, who was perched on Ash's shoulder. The startled Pikachu released a potent Thunder attack. Thankfully Ash's friends were a few feet back and thus didn't get hurt by the ensuing electric blast. "Ouch," Bianca commented. She turned and sweatdropped when she saw Brock was crying like a baby because Ash had the attention of several dozen girls.

When the attack ended the entire crowd was on the floor except for Ash, who was too used to shocks by now to be knocked out by Pikachu's Thunder. Ash sighed in relief. "Thanks, buddy."

"You're welcome," Pikachu replied. Both Ash and Pikachu groaned when they noticed that the people were slowly getting up, more determined then ever to see Ash's Legendary Pokémon. Ash took a few steps back.

"_I think you should hide, they'll never leave you alone,"_ Latios suggested. Ash sighed and ran, searching for a place to get away from these obviously mad people who had been pestering him to show them Latios without realizing Latios had been a few feet from them all along. The frenzied crowd ran after him.

"Do you think he will be alright?" Bianca asked as the crowd chased Ash into the distance.

"_Latios, go and help him __out please,"_ Latias pleaded telepathically.

Latios chuckled. _"Worried that some fangirl will get to him before you do?"_

Latias blushed._ "Just go and don't comment!" _Latios laughed and quickly flew after Ash.

"Why!" Brock shouted desperately to the heavens in search for an answer. Bianca, Misty and Latias turned to look at him in confusion.

"What's got into you now?" Misty asked, through she had a pretty good guess.

"Why must Ash be so lucky!" Brock bellowed again. "He has so many girls paying attention to him and I have nothing!"

The girls sweatdropped. "He's lost it…" Misty muttered. Latias nodded in agreement.

Brock looked around. "You!" he said, pointing to Bianca. In a flash, he was kneeling before her, taking her hand. "You are my last hope to have a girlfriend! Please agree to be the soulmate that I have been searching for!"

Bianca gasped. Her eyes twitched, a vein of annoyance appeared in her forehead, an irritated look crossed her face, she turned beet red in anger, and then…she slammed Brock to the ground so hard that Latias and Misty could swear that the pavement cracked. She put a foot on top of Brock's head and began to stomp him, shouting with each impact. "I! Have! Tolerated! Your! Perverted! Acts! But! If! You! Try! To! Flirt! With! Me! Ever! Again! You! Are! Going! To! Wish! You! Never! See! A! Woman! Ever! Again! Got it!"

"Y-y-yes," Brock muttered weakly. Bianca nodded satisfied and walked a few feet back.

Latias and Misty had their mouths dropped in awe. "She does it better than both of us put together," Misty admitted.

"_I like her style,"_ Latias commented. Bianca laughed nervously when she saw the terrified looks of the people passing by.

"Maybe you should try it too," Misty told Latias.

"_Maybe, though if I attack him like that I'll end up sending him to the hospital,"_ Latias joked. Brock put on a terrified face, or tried to, he was still stuck in the pavement.

"What about Ash?" Misty asked.

"_Don't worry, Latios is on it,"_ Latias answered.

"Let's go to the hotel room and wait for them," Misty said casually.

"He didn't break anything did he?" Bianca asked.

Latias' eyes glowed a little. _"No, he'll be alright in a few minutes, after the pain passes."_

"Okay, see you at the hotel room," Bianca called as they walked to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Ash was hiding in an alley in terror. He didn't need his sensing abilities to know that the reporters, trainers, and fangirls were getting close. Thankfully, he sensed Latios approaching, turning the corner and hovering close to him. "Latios, help me!" Ash pleaded.

Latios chuckled. _"Sure, just let me think of a way."_

"Can't you fly me away?" Ash asked desperately.

"_No, if they see us, they__'ll be even more excited,"_ Latios answered. He grinned. _"I can knock them out psychically if you want."_

Ash shook his head. "I don't want you to harm someone like that ever again!"

"_I meant something different. In this case it's only temporary, they'll just faint and wake up a few hours later, nothing serious,"_ Latios said.

"No Latios, you know I dislike you being so aggressive," Ash said. "Find another way, please."

"I can shock them silly," Pikachu offered. Ash shook his head again.

Latios sighed. He sensed Ash's 'fans' were getting near. _"I consider you a great friend Ash, so be _really_ grateful I'm willing to do this for you."_

Ash looked confused. Suddenly the air Latios was in sparkled brightly as he regained visibility. What surprised Ash was that Latios was getting smaller and changing shape. Ash gasped slightly when he realized what Latios was doing. In seconds, a perfect copy of Ash was standing before him. "Wow…" Ash muttered.

"I thought you said you hated that," Pikachu commented.

"_I do, so you better be grateful,"_ Latios telepathed, glaring at Ash.

Ash chuckled nervously. "I am."

"_Go to the hotel, I'll lose them and __meet you there,"_ Latios telepathed.

"Thanks, Latios," Ash said. Latios smiled and ran out of the alley.

The crowd quickly noticed him and ran after the Ash-disguised Latios, everyone wanting to see him or get a nice interview for the news channel. Latios quickly ran, looking for a nice place to lose them. After a few minutes he made a sharp turn, quickly resumed his Pokémon form, and turned invisible.

By the time everyone caught up he was long gone. They groaned in disappointment and had no choice but to resume their day. Latios laughed and flew to the hotel. It took him a few minutes to reach the hotel room. As usual, he entered through the balcony. He sweatdropped when he saw the condition Brock was in.

"Hi, Latios, thanks for the help earlier," Ash said. He was sitting at the table with everyone, except Brock, who was in the computer registering Ash's team and checking Harrison's Pokémon record. He was more than alittle bruised.

"_You're welcome,"_ Latios answered. _"What happened to him?"_ he asked, motioning to the _slightly _bruised Brock.

Latias laughed. _"He was so sad that Ash had so much female attention that he tried his luck with Bianca. You can figure out the rest."_

Latios chuckled. _"Learned a lesson?"_

"I hope so…" Brock muttered. He refocused his attention on the computer as he checked Harrison's record and pondered on the best team to register for Ash.

"_So, how does the Hoenn guy's Pokémon look?"_ Latios asked.

"He has a lot from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. He's an older trainer, so he's traveled for a while and his Pokémon must be quite experienced. His Hoenn Pokémon might be a problem, so I registered the team that I think would be able to fair the best against him," Brock summarized.

"_Alright,"_ Latios telepathed.

"I _will_ beat him," Ash said confidently.

Misty smiled. "For once, I actually think you are truly capable of winning."

Ash smiled back. "Finally!"

"But I still think it's all thanks to Latias and Latios," Misty continued. Ash facefaulted.

"The upcoming match will be good, I know I'll win!" he said after recovering.

Latias smiled. _"I know you will."_

_

* * *

_Harrison smiled as he dialed a number on the phone at the Pokémon Center. Soon a man in his mid-thirties answered, his image appearing on the screen of the videophone, sporting a nice beard and a lab coat. "Hello? Ah, Harrison, good to see you again," Professor Birch greeted one of his most successful pupils.

"Hello to you too Professor, how's it going over there in Hoenn?" Harrison asked warmly.

"Ah, it's been nice, a good time of the year here. Anyway, what's the call for?" Birch asked.

"Did you see today's matches?" Harrison asked.

"Oh, yeah, you were splendid, congratulations," Professor Birch praised.

"Well Professor, while I'm flattered that you think I did that well, you have to admit, my match was nothing compared to the surprise that appeared after mine," Harrison replied.

Professor Birch got serious. "Yes, I never imagined a Latios would be used in the Silver Conference."

"I'm impressed too, and to think a Latios is in the hands of an eleven year old!" Harrison exclaimed.

"I remember Professor Oak of Kanto calling me a month ago asking for the Pokedex entries on Latias and Latios. Since that kid is one of Oak's prospects, I assumed it was for him, but I never imagined he had asked them because a trainer had caught a Latios. I thought it was because he had heard of a sighting or something like that," Birch said with a sigh.

"But still, how did that kid catch him!" Harrison asked.

"What I'm more impressed in is that Latios obeyed him without any hesitation! And the way they celebrated their victory…it's clear that Latios respects the boy. But how did that kid get Latios to respect him that much?" Professor Birch wondered.

"I don't know, but I'm against him and his Latios next round. My Johto team won't be enough to fight a Latios, so I'll need some Pokémon from my Hoenn team," Harrison said.

Professor Birch nodded. "A wise choice. I'll go and get your team, call me in a few hours. It might take me a while to find them, that and it's my lunch time." He held out a lunchbox to emphasize the point. Harrison sweatdropped.

"Allright Professor," Harrison said. "I'll go and plan my strategy. I have to defeat that Latios!"

"Good luck," Birch said as he hung up. Harrison got up and exited the Pokemon Center. For now he was going to his Hotel room to register his team, and then he was planning on using the remaining days to train and give his Hoenn Team a good warm-up before the match.

* * *

Today had been a nice day for our young hero, but not a nice night. Ash stirred for what was the hundredth time in his bed. He just couldn't sleep! Today's fantastic event kept replaying in his mind…how he had defeated Gary.

He looked at the alarm clock. It was eleven thirty, almost midnight. Ash sighed and stood up from his bed, careful to not wake Pikachu. He walked to the balcony and smiled at the sight of the lake, the moon casting an almost magical glow on the surface of the water. He walked out of the hotel room quietly.

After a while, he exited the hotel, wanting to get some fresh air, walking to the lake and standing at the edge. He smiled at the breathtaking reflection of the moon's silver glow. Ash looked around and noticed that he wasn't alone. Sitting on a rock about a hundred feet away was Gary.

"Wow," Ash said to himself as he walked to where Gary was.

Gary was sitting at the edge of the lake, just thinking. He turned around and looked surprised when he saw Ash walking towards him. "Hey Ashy-boy."

"Hi Gary. Can't sleep?" Ash asked.

"No, I just came here to relax for a while," Gary responded, looking at the moon. "Congratulations on beating me. I'm impressed, you've finally surpassed me," he admitted, an almost relieved tone in his voice.

"Thanks," Ash said, a proud tone in his voice.

Gary smiled at him. "I'm just curious, how did you capture a Legendary Pokémon?"

Ash chuckled. "With friendship, Gary."

Gary blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I never battled Latios, or even intended to capture him. He decided to come with me on his own after I became his friend," Ash explained.

Gary chuckled. "Wow, not bad."

Ash smiled. "Thanks!"

"Listen Ashy-boy, go on and win the tournament, I know you can," Gary stood up and began to leave. He paused. "And thanks."

Ash looked confused. "For what?"

"By defeating me, you finally drove my annoying fangirl team away," Gary explained. Ash laughed nervously when he remember that now some silly girls were after him too. At least he knew somehow that Latias and Misty would help him. He wondered why Latias and Misty seemed so interested in keeping others girls away from him, like Macey.

"You're welcome, I guess," Ash said, still a bit uneasy.

Gary reached into his pocket and tossed something to Ash. Ash caught it and was shocked when he realized it was Gary's half of the Pokeball they had fought over all those years ago. "But why?" Ash asked, a bit taken off.

Gary smiled. "You've earned it. Consider it a good luck charm to help you win."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Gary."

Gary walked up to him and held out his hand. Ash smiled and shook it. "Our rivalry ends, and our friendship begins," Gary announced.

"I'm happy to hear that," Ash admitted; glad to have a new (old) friend.

"You know Ash, sometimes when you win, you learn a little, or maybe nothing, but when you're defeated, you always learn a lot. When you defeated me, I learned so much. I saw the errors in my ways. Thanks a lot," Gary said, turning around. "Good luck with the rest of the Silver Conference."

Ash smiled and nodded. For some reason, now he felt sleepy. He walked back to his hotel room, slipped into bed, and fell asleep, that last image of Gary walking away by himself in the moonlight flickering through his mind.

* * *

Chapter 16 has finished! Again, sorry for the delay…

Now, **REVIEW** please! =D Hehehe

Also, I didn't mention last chapter, but this fanfic has reached 100,000 words! WooHoo!

Until next chapter! What will Harrison use against Ash? He knows he's against a Legendary… but how will he fight Latios' powers? Find out later!


	17. The Battle Begins!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: Chapter 17 is here! Yay! Enjoy it!

* * *

"And here we are again. Ready for another day of training?" Ash asked his Pokémon. Ash and Brock had arrived at the same clearing they'd used for training for the entire Silver Conference.

"_Yeah,"_ Latios answered. Pikachu and Latias nodded. Bianca, Misty and Delia had gone shopping and decided to leave the training to Brock and Ash, who saw no harm in this and let them go, through Ash questioned once again why women liked shopping. It was now the day after Ash's victory over Gary, so they had still three days left to train.

Ash grabbed four Pokeballs and released the rest of the team he had chosen to fight Harrison. Bayleef, Snorlax, Squirtle and Charizard appeared in the clearing with flashes of light. "Hi everyone!" Ash greeted. All the Pokémon returned the salutation. Ash walked closer to Squirtle. "So, How's everyone at the lab?"

"Very good, it was nice to see them again," the Water-Type replied. Since he was under Ash's care for now, he used the opportunity to see his old teammates again before he returned to the Squirtle Squad.

"How's Larvitar?" Ash asked, concern in his voice. "I hope he's okay without me."

Squirtle smiled. "The kid's fine. He was very nervous at first, but being separated from you seems to have made him a bit more confident and less dependent on you," Squirtle explained.

Both Ash and Latias sighed in relief. "That's good to hear," Ash remarked.

Squirtle laughed. "Phanpy's been helping him get to know everyone, he's become a close friend to Larvitar."

"I guess I'll thank him the next time I see them," Ash said proudly, glad that Larvitar was finally opening up thanks to his surrogate son. "Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped in the battle against Gary. We won, and I'm very proud of all of you!"

Ash's Pokémon smiled. "Thanks!" Bayleef squealed happily.

"So, who's our next opponent?" Charizard asked eagerly. "I hope it's someone strong."

"Well, our next opponent is from a place called Hoenn, so he has lots of strong Pokémon unlike any we've ever seen before," Ash explained.

Charizard grinned. "That sounds good."

"Anyway, we'll do some training until the next match comes up. Brock will help out there," Ash informed, motioning over to Brock.

"While Latias and Latios learn Ice Beam, the rest of you should just spar with each other. Snorlax and Bayleef will fight Charizard and Pikachu will fight Squirtle," Brock suggested.

"No! I want to fight Latios!" Charizard shouted at Brock. Latios sighed.

Brock chuckled nervously. "I can't understand you."

"He wants to fight Latios, again!" Ash translated. "Sorry Charizard, but Latios has a new attack to learn. Maybe later."

"I want to fight him now! Snorlax is a bit slow and I've already fought him, and Bayleef… please, a Grass-Type? You've got to be kidding me," Charizard whined.

An angry look flashed across Bayleef's face as a vein of irritation appeared on her forehead. "What did you just say!" Before Charizard could reply, she extended a Vine Whip and smacked him on the head, knocking him back. She smirked and gave a satisfied nod.

Charizard rubbed the top of his head. "You know I hate it when you do that!"

"All the more reason to keep doing it," Bayleef countered, giggling.

"Okay that's it, I'm fighting you," Charizard snarled, glaring at Bayleef.

She laughed. "Bring it on!" She turned backwards to look at Snorlax, who was miraculously awake. "Let's go!" Snorlax nodded and walked to a different area of the clearing, while Bayleef attacked the already airborne Charizard with a flurry of Razor Leaves.

Pikachu and Squirtle shrugged. They moved to a different location to spar with each other, leaving Latias and Latios with Ash and Brock. _"So, what are we going to do?" _Latias asked.

"Well, according to my book, Ice Beam is learned better in a cold environment if the Pokémon is not of the Water or Ice-Type," Brock explained. He held out a Pokeball. "Thankfully Misty left me her Politoed so we can make that cold setting with its own Ice Beam."

Latias and Latios groaned. _"We hate Ice,"_ Latios telepathed flatly.

Brock laughed. "No pain, no gain."

"_Good point…"_ Latios admitted grudgingly.

"_Then why hasn't Brock gained anything from the pain we've given him?"_ Latias quietly asked.

"_I have no idea,"_ Latios replied.

"Okay," Brock began. "After we have the cold setting, you'll do breathing exercises while trying to focus the cold to your mouth and fire it."

Both eon dragons nodded. _"Alright," _Latias telepathed.

Brock threw the Pokeball, releasing Politoed. Brock looked around and noticed the small river that ran through the clearing. "Politoed, please freeze that river," he commanded. Politoed opened its mouth and released a beam of blue freezing energy, easily freezing the river.

"Latias and Latios, move over the river and hover as close to it as possible," Brock instructed.

Latias and Latios nodded and floated to the frozen river, hovering closer to the surface. Latias shivered. _"Okay, what now?"_

"Now, start to inhale and exhale in a relaxed manner. When you think you're ready, concentrate the cold in your mouth and let it out," Brock instructed.

Both eon dragons nodded and relaxed, closing their eyes. They began to breathe deeply, suppressing the occasional shiver from the cold. Latios was the first to try. He concentrated as much as he could and tried to release the cold from his body… and only released a small icy breath. Latias tried and the same thing happened. "This is going to be hard," Latios deadpanned.

"I agree," Latias replied. Both dragons concentrated again and continued.

Meanwhile, Pikachu moved very quickly around the clearing with his Agility, but even so, Squirtle's very precise Water Guns were nearly impossible to dodge. Pikachu tried to fire a Thunderbolt, but his aim was off because he was too busy dodging the Water Guns.

"You're good!" Pikachu commented as he made another quick turn, barely evading the Water Gun that had just been fired at him. "But I'm better!" He used Quick Attack and charged directly for Squirtle. Just as Pikachu had predicted, Squitrle spat a Water Gun directly at him, but Pikachu used an Iron Tail to jump over it. He spun in midair, directing the Iron Tail at Squirtle.

"You need to be faster than that," Squirtle replied smugly as he withdrew into his shell and used Hydro Pump, turning into a spinning waterspout, easily knocking Pikachu away and blasting him into a tree with a Water Gun.

Meanwhile, Charizard was actually having trouble dealing with Snorlax and Bayleef, mainly because Snorlax would always shield Bayleef from his attacks so she could counterattack safely. This certainly was an interesting challenge, but Charizard was more than confident that he could prevail nonetheless.

The group kept training, a usual thing for them by now. By noon, Latias and Latios had made some progress with Ice Beam. They could now create the freezing energy, but still lacked the power to actually make it into a beam.

Surprisingly, Squirtle defeated Pikachu. He used a good strategy to tire the mouse out, mainly by shooting Water Guns until Pikachu got tired of running around. Charizard defeated Bayleef and Snorlax. When Snorlax was finally knocked out, Charizard politely asked Bayleef to admit her defeat. She reluctantly agreed, knowing that fighting a Fire and Flying-Type was a very bad idea for A Grass-Type like her.

After they finished they returned to Silver Town, Latios was careful and warned Ash every time he sensed a fangirl or news crew nearby so Ash could hide until the danger passed. Aside from this, the walk back to the hotel was rather uneventful.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the training fields of Silver Town, Harrison nodded in approval at his team. Normally the fields where rather full, but with only eight trainers remaining in the tournament, they were now rather empty.

"Very good all of you. It seems that none of you has lost strength. I'm glad that you're all in your best shape," Harrison remarked. His Hoenn Pokémon Team nodded happily, all of them glad to see their trainer and friend once more. "Listen, The next battle we're having will be extremely hard. While the opposing trainer is just a kid, his Pokémon team is impressive, especially since it includes a Latios," Harrison explained. All of his Pokémon gasped.

"While fighting a Legendary will be very hard, I trust that you will all do your best and aid me in the upcoming match," Harrison told them proudly. He grabbed four Pokeballs and returned four Pokémon, leaving out two. He turned to one of the remaining two, a rather small Pokémon. "You are my key to defeating Latios. As much as I saw of him in his last battle, Latios can't defeat you no matter what," Harrison said, a smile tugging at his lips. The Pokémon in question gave a curt nod from the air it was floating in. "Return," Harrison muttered while holding out a Pokeball. A red beam shot from the Pokeball and recalled the Pokémon.

Harrison looked at the last Pokémon that he left out. Said Pokémon was at least five times bigger than Harrison. "You are the strongest Pokémon I have ever owned. I'm proud of you and I trust in your aid in the upcoming match." The Pokémon took a small step forward and roared triumphantly into the air. Harrison smiled and patted the Pokemon. "Seems you're eager for a nice battle. The last time you had a tough fight was in last year's Hoenn League. This time we're ready to finally win a tournament."

The Pokémon nodded as Harrison returned it to his Pokeball. "We'll train for the remaining days to get ready. Ash Ketchum, you are going to be the toughest challenge I have ever faced."

* * *

Three days passed rather quickly, especially when you were about to fight a trainer that had so many Pokémon you didn't know anything about and if you trained continuously all day. Being the most experienced of the siblings, Latios managed to learn Ice Beam after training so hard in the Icy terrain created by Politoed's own Ice Beam. Latias was almost finished learning it, all she needed was to add the force necessary to expel the freezing energy.

"Almost there!" Ash shouted excitedly as the usual group walked to the Silver Stadium. Ash looked like he had a sugar high.

"Patience!" Misty yelled in exasperation. This did little to make the cap-wearing trainer any less excited.

"_Let him __enjoy this, he's one match away from being in the top four of the Silver Conference,"_ Latias chided, a smile on her face at seeing Ash so cheerful, through no one saw it because she was invisible.

"See Misty! You should listen to her!" Ash said happily. Misty growled but made no further comment. "So, do you think I can win?" Ash asked eagerly.

"No," Misty replied instantly. Ash sweatdropped.

"_You'll win,"_ Latias reassured him. _"My brother will make sure you do."_

"Yeah, Latios will beat up anything that Hoenn Guy has," Bianca agreed.

"And I get to see lots of new Pokemon too!" Ash commented, that being the second reason he was so excited. He paused. "Hey Brock, after I win the Silver Conference, do you think I could travel to Hoenn?"

"Through I'm not entirely sure about the 'win the Silver Conference' part, yes, I do. It would be a good place to continue your journey," Brock answered.

"Maybe you could use your match against Harrison to decide," Misty suggested. "You'll get a peek at some Hoenn Pokémon during the match anyways."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ash agreed.

"Hello!" A familiar girl squealed in front of Ash, making leap in alarm.

"Err… Macey?" Ash replied in confusion. Misty and Latias' eye twitched in annoyance.

Latios grinned, expecting a nice show. _"Pikachu, I bet you my dinner tonight that Latias will scare Macey away or have Ash go somewhere else," _the eon Pokémon telepathed exclusively to the electric mouse.

Pikachu grinned. _'I bet my dinner too that it will be Misty who drives Macey or Ash away.'_

"_Deal!"_ Both Pokémon thought at the same time.

"Hello? What brings you here?" Ash asked, completely oblivious to the mass of hatred that was looming behind him, namely, Latias and Misty. Macey was too focused on her object of affections to notice.

"I just wanted to ask you on out that date I couldn't finish asking you properly for last time, maybe tonight after your battle? I sure you'll win," Macey stated, a dreamy look in her eyes. This time Brock remained perfectly calm because he had resigned himself to Ash being _far _more successful in his love life than he could ever hope to be.

This time Ash knew what a date was because Latias had explained it to him. "Well," Ash started nervously. "I don't know… I always enjoy dinner with my friends and Pokémon."

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Macey insisted.

"Sorry, but Ash is busy right now, he has to prepare for his battle and can't have any interruptions!" Misty shouted quickly, pushing Ash in the direction of the stadium.

"Hey!" Macey shouted. "Not you again!" _'Through I have to admit this time she did sound like a coach…' _she thought.

Latios' eyes widened as he got worried. Pikachu was winning the bet… And he could see Pikachu's toothy grin. _"You still haven't won!" _Latios bellowed. Pikachu chuckled.

"Oh no, I'll leave him alone once he says yes!" Macey replied quickly. With a sprint she caught up to Misty and Ash.

Misty turned around. "Sorry, but no!" Misty yelled. Both girls glared at each other.

Latias grinned and flew beside Ash. She nudged him slightly. _"You know, your match is up soon, you'd better hurry up! You don't want a silly girl stalking you."_

"Right!" Ash paused. "Why do those girls stalk me?"

"_I'll explain in a minute,"_ Latias telepathed, nudging him in the direction of the stadium.

Ash turned and began walking to the stadium. "Thanks!"

Pikachu groaned. He had a feeling as to why Ash had begun walking to the stadium, and he could literally feel Latios' smirk on his back. "Hey Ash, wait up!" Brock shouted as the group ran after him.

"Later Macey," Misty said.

"W-Wait up!" Macey yelled… and tripped on a conveniently placed rock. Latias started giggling.

Latios sighed, but at least he had won the bet. Pikachu whimpered on Ash's shoulder. _'Latios… you'll let me eat a bit won't you?'_ Pikachu thought.

"_I think I'll be extra hungry for tonight, so the double fill might be good for me,__ what a nice bet,"_ Latios telepathed, with a cruel chuckle. Pikachu sank on Ash's shoulder. _"And I'm not letting you eat ketchup in a year."_

Pikachu had to put his paws on his mouth to stop the terrified shriek that almost escaped. _'Anything but that!' _

Latios laughed. _"I'm just kidding."_ Pikachu sighed in relief.

"_A bet? What are you two talking about?"_ Latias asked.

Latios chuckled. _"Nothing, dear sis."_

"So, why do all those girls you call 'fangirls' want me as a boyfriend?" Ash asked, glad that he remembered the concept of boyfriend for once.

"Well…" Misty began.

"_Well Ash,"_ Latias began, beating Misty to the answer. _"The just want you as a boyfriend because they only see what you have, like Latios for example. They're impressed that you have a Legendary Pokémon, or they like the fact that you are a strong trainer. The reason fangirls aren't appreciated is because they think its love they feel for someone while all they really have is nothing but a silly crush. A true girlfriend would be one that cares for your feelings and for you sincerely, as well as knows you perfectly, and, most importantly, feels true love for you." _Latias smiled to herself as she finished._ 'Someone like me…' _she thought to herself dreamily.

'_Someone like me…'_ Misty thought dreamily the very second Latias finished. She paused and shook her head in denial. _'What am I thinking? Get a hold of yourself Misty!'_

Everyone paused for a few seconds. It was a good thing that Latias was invisible or else everyone would have stared at her like she was an alien_. "I heard that!"_ Latias telepathed exclusively to Misty. She jumped in surprised and blushed a little.

"_I heard that!"_ Latios yelled in Latias' mind. She gave a small start in surprise and blushed.

Bianca was the first to recover. "Wow Latias that was very accurate. Someone woke up today feeling a little philosophical."

Latias laughed nervously. "Thanks Latias, that clears things a bit," Ash said, still sorting out a few of the things Latias had said.

Thankfully, the group was saved from the awkward moment by the fact that they were already very close to the stadium and it was starting to get full. Ash arrived at the access tunnel to enter the arena and was surprised to see Harrison there. Harrison turned to meet him. "Ah, well, well, well. Hello Ash, I'm Harrison, your next opponent." Harrison held out his had.

Ash grinned and shook it. "Hello, I'm Ash Ketchum! Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, let's have a great battle," Harrison said.

Ash nodded. "I'm eager to see what kinds of Pokémon you have. What's the Hoenn region like?"

Harrison was a bit surprised that this kid was acting so kindly and carefree around someone who was his future opponent. Harrison had to admit, there was a very friendly feeling around the boy. The question Harrison had been asking himself all this time about how this eleven year old could catch a Legendary and also, why the Latios respected him so much, like Birch had implied, had just been answered, without him needing to ask about it. Harrison smiled. "Well, it's a very wonderful region. It's a very special place, you can find a lot of Pokémon that are only native to there," Harrison replied.

Ash smiled. "Thanks!"

Harrison nodded. "No problem." He turned and held out his Pokedex. The guard let him pass.

"Wow, the Hoenn Region sounds cool, I'm definitely going there!" Ash commented.

Brock smiled. "It's a good choice Ash."

"Okay," Ash replied as he took out his Pokedex and showed it to the guard. The guard allowed him to pass, as well as his friends.

Ash was surprised when the second he entered the arena the crowd started cheering loudly. _"Guess my appearance last battle really made you very famous Ash,"_ Latios commented, chuckling at Ash's nervous expression.

"Both trainers have entered the field!" the ever-present MC announced, causing the crowd to cheer even louder as Ash walked to the green box and Harrison was already waiting in the red.

"This will be a full battle of six on six Pokémon, with substitutions allowed for both sides. A short five minute break will be taken after either trainer has lost three of their Pokémon!" the Referee announced.

The MC began his introduction of the match. "This match should prove to be interesting. The Trainer named Harrison is from Littleroot Town of Hoenn, so we should expect lots of interesting Hoenn-only Pokémon, more now than the previous battles, considering that we all know the legendary Pokémon under Ash's command!" Harrison and Ash stared at each other as the crowd cheered some more. "What will Harrison do to fight Latios, Ash's unique Pokémon?" the MC continued. "Now, let's decide the field for the match!"

On the screen, Harrison and Ash's image appeared. Beneath them were six unused slots for their Pokemon. On the center of the screen, a wheel appeared divided in four segments, each representing a battlefield: Water, Rock, Grass and Ice.

The segments flashed in rapid circles until slowing down gradually to stop on the segment with a rock on it. "And this match will be fought on a Rock battlefield!" the MC announced.

The neutral field separated from the rest of the arena floor and started sinking into the earth until it split in half and was pulled sideways; revealing a new battlefield underneath that was slowly lifted up until it was at ground level. The field was made of a hard stone floor with numerous rocks sprouting from the ground, making it hard to maneuver. "How will this battlefield affect the trainers?" The MC wondered. "Now, let's see who moves first!"

The field-choosing wheel was replaced by another one, divided into red and green segments. As before, a light flashed rapidly across them until it slowed down and stopped on a green segment, meaning that Ash went first. "And Ash Ketchum has the first move!" the MC bellowed.

In the stands, Professor Oak chuckled. "Getting the first move is bad for Ash."

"Yeah," Gary agreed. "He doesn't know what his opponent has. But I'm certain Ashy-boy will be fine, though."

Delia nodded proudly as she readied her camera. "This will be a most entertaining match."

Professor Elm nodded eagerly. "And we get to see Latios again!" Both Elm and Oak giggled, and the others stared at them.

Ash hummed in thought. _'I don't know what he'll use, so I better pick the Pokémon that should adapt the best to anything Harrison sends at me. I need the experience,'_ Ash thought to himself. "Pikachu! I choose you!"

Pikachu nodded and entered the field as his icon appeared on the screen. "And Ash Ketchum has started with his Pikachu! Don't let appearances deceive you folks, as we saw last battle, this rodent is made of tough material!" the MC commented. Pikachu nodded proudly.

Harrison smirked as he grabbed a pokeball. "Go, Kecleon!" A small green bipedal lizard Pokémon appeared, a zigzagging red line adorning its chest. Kecleon's icon appeared on the large screen.

"Wow, doesn't look too tough," Ash commented.

"_Don't let appearances fool you,"_ Latios warned.

The Referee raised both Flags. "Kecleon against Pikachu, Harrison versus Ash, Quarter Finals of the Silver Conference, BEGIN!"

* * *

Giovanni was feeling pleased today. He had been informed a few hours ago that his newest implement for world domination was finished. He had been waiting a long time for this. He was now walking to Team Rocket's main laboratory. After walking for a few minutes he arrived at the main access door and pressed a password into a keypad at the side of the door. The door opened and he stepped in. He was immediately greeted by the entire scientific crew of Team Rocket, who saluted as he entered.

Professors Namba and Sebastian stepped forward. "Greetings, Master Giovanni," Professor Sebastian greeted him formally.

"Greetings as well, Master Giovanni," Professor Namba said as well.

"Hmm, Professors Sebastian and Napla-" Giovanni started.

"It's Namba!" Professor Namba bellowed, clearly irritated.

"I don't care what your name is," Giovanni replied flatly. "As I was saying, I received information stating that you have finished the project."

"That is correct," Professor Sebastian affirmed with a curt nod.

"Come this way please," Professor Namba offered as he and Sebastian turned and walked to a glass box with several cables attached to it at the end of the lab. The glass container wasn't that big, it was barely two feet wide.

"Here it is," Professor Sebastian said proudly.

Giovanni looked closer, almost feeling a chill when he saw the small object inside, it radiated such malice that even Giovanni found himself fidgeting slightly. He turned to the Professors. "Can it be mass-produced?" Giovanni asked.

"Sadly, No," Professor Namba answered.

"Due to the components and materials required, they are extremely expensive to make. With Team Rocket's current funds, only another four can be produced without endangering our budget," Professor Sebastian continued.

"Which gives us a total of five, well. I think that should be enough," Giovanni muttered. "They are the perfect weapons, after all."

"If you'll excuse me," Professor Namba started. "I think we have been calling them 'weapons' mistakenly. They are not the weapon, it's more like with it we can create the perfect weapons."

"I agree," Professor Sebastian said. "They are the means to create the ultimate weapons, not the weapons themselves."

"I fail to see the distinction. I want a full report on their capabilities and usage on my desk by the time I get back to my office, got it?" Giovanni stated.

Both Prof. Namba and Sebastian nodded quickly. "Yes, Boss," both said at the same time.

Giovanni nodded. "I want the other four to be produced. When will they be finished?"

"Mmm, I estimate in two weeks to a month," Professor Namba Replied.

"Alright. When they are finished, announce it to me immediately so I can hold a meeting to state what is to be done with them. In the meantime, cancel all of Team Rocket's current missions, I want all available agents ready to begin operations using your creation," Giovanni instructed.

"Understood!" Both Professors saluted.

Giovanni nodded and turned around, heading to the exit of the lab. _'Many of my most recent plans have failed. This time, however, there will be no mistakes. Everything will be mine!'_

"It seems we impressed the boss with this," Professor Sebastian noted, pointing to the small object inside the glass box.

"I agree," Professor Namba noted. "Let's get everything ready, Sebastian. We must make another four."

Professor Sebastian nodded. "True, we must get back to work, Mamba-"

"Its Namba!" Professor Namba bellowed.

"Sorry, my mistake," Prof. Sebastian replied. He grinned sinisterly. "Let's begin."

* * *

And Chapter 17: Done! Hope you all enjoyed it, Next chapter will be a blast for you all! That I promise! Finally Harrison's full team will be revealed!

And Please Leave A **REVIEW**! Wheeee!


	18. A Great Plan: Defeating Latios!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: And here is chapter 18! Enjoy! =D

* * *

The stadium watched intently as the two trainers stared at each other, ready for the battle that was about to take place. "Popcorn!" Jessie shouted, holding a rather large tray filled with numerous popcorn bags.

"Lemonade, on the double!" James shouted, holding a tray filled with lemonade glasses. Behind them was Meowth, sitting on the small sales cart carrying most of the food they were selling, counting money.

On the field, looks of utter concentration were etched on Harrison and Ash's face., Kecleon and Pikachu were intently staring at each other, waiting for the battle to begin.

The referee raised both flags. "Kecleon against Pikachu, Harrison versus Ash, Quarter Finals of the Silver Conference. BEGIN!"

"Kecleon, use Psybeam!" Harrison shouted, taking the initiative. Kecleon opened its mouth and fired a zigzagging multi-colored beam at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash shouted. Pikachu nodded and jumped, using one of the rocks as a stepping-stone to gain altitude, causing the Psybeam to pass just below him.

"_Ash,__ be careful, while Kecleon isn't exactly a strong Pokémon, it can be a bit tricky to fight. Like us, it can turn invisible by camouflaging, and its type changes to the type of the last attack that was used on it,"_ Latias telepathed.

Ash frowned. _'Its type changes to the same one as the last attack that was used on it?' _

"Kecleon, use Psybeam again!" Harrison commanded. Kecleon fired another multi-colored beam of psychic energy at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, counter with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks crackled as a massive surge of electricity was fired at the incoming Psybeam. Both attacks collided and clashed in a stalemate for several seconds until Pikachu's electricity started gaining the upper hand, slowly pushing the Psybeam back until it was destroyed. The Color Swap Pokémon cried in pain as several hundred volts of electricity coursed through its body. Even so, it refused to go down.

"What a powerful electric shock!" the MC commented.

"Quick, use Faint Attack!" Harrison ordered. Kecleon suddenly disappeared, much to Ash and Pikachu's astonishment. A split second later, Kecleon reappeared and slammed into Pikachu rather hard, sending the Electric-Type crashing into a rock.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Ash shouted. Pikachu quickly recovered and prepared to launch a powerful electric blast at the Color Swap Pokémon.

"Kecleon, use Sucker Punch!" Harrison ordered quickly. With amazing speed, Kecleon reached Pikachu before the Electric-Type could start the Thunder attack, delivering a rather hard hit that sent him stumbling back.

"And with surprising speed, Kecleon lands an attack first!" the MC boomed.

"Hey, what gives!" Ash shouted in confusion. "I attacked first!"

"_Sucker Punch is an attack __that makes the user hit first. It's an increased priority move, like Quick Attack,"_ Latios explained.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, hoping to counter Sucker Punch. Pikachu quickly darted forward with amazing speed, becoming a blur.

"Kecleon, turn invisible!" Harrison ordered. Kecleon nodded and quickly changed its skin colors to match his surroundings, blending into the landscape save for the zigzagged line on its chest.

"Aww, how am I going to take a decent picture?" Delia complained as she lowered her camera. Professors Elm and Oak chuckled.

Ash quickly noted Kecleon's weakness, as did Pikachu. "Keep going Pikachu!" Ash shouted. Pikachu grinned and lunged at the Kecleon, who hadn't moved since blending into the landscape.

"Kecleon, quick, dodge!" Harrison ordered. Not wasting a second, the chameleon-like Pokémon leaped to the side and hid between some rocks, getting the zigzag line out of Ash's view. "Now, use lick!" Harrison shouted. Kecleon slid its insanely long tongue out of its mouth and sent the appendage directly at Pikachu. The Electric-Type had no time to react as he was licked in the cheek. Kecleon's saliva made Pikachu's fur stand on end and a dizzy sensation washed over him, making stumble about randomly.

"And Pikachu is dizzy after taking that lick attack. Ew!" the MC commented in a disgusted tone.

"Pikachu, snap out of it!" Ash shouted frantically, but to no avail.

"Kecleon, we have it now! Use Psybeam!" Harrison ordered. Kecleon undid its camouflage and fired another multi-colored beam at Pikachu, hitting the Electric-Type and slamming him into a rock again. However, the force of the Psybeam was enough to snap Pikachu back into reality.

"Ugh, that was gross!" Pikachu shouted, shaking himself to get rid of the phantom feeling of the lick. Ash sweatdropped.

"Kecleon, use Lick again!" Harrison ordered. Pikachu got a terrified look on his face as Kecleon fired its long tongue at the Electric-Type yet again.

"Catch it!" Ash shouted.

"Are you kidding!" Pikachu replied, completely grossed out.

"Just do it!" Ash ordered. Pikachu quickly readied himself and caught the tongue between his paws before it could hit him, a shiver went down his spine at the sensation of touching it.

"Wow, impressive folks! Pikachu has caught Kecleon by the tongue, now Kecleon is at Pikachu's mercy!" the MC bellowed.

"Thunder!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu smirked as his cheeks crackled violently. A few seconds later a huge electrical blast engulfed Pikachu. Kecleon shrieked as he was shocked as well through its tongue. The attack died soon after as Pikachu released the Color Swap Pokémon's tongue and immediately rubbed the paw on a rock to get rid of the sticky saliva.

"_Pikachu, you'll need a bath after this…"_ Latios commented flatly.

"Yeah, this thing doesn't come out easily, my fur is all sticky," the mouse complained, Ash sweatdropped, suppressing a nervous laugh.

Ash returned his sight to the field. "What!" Pikachu turned and was amazed to see the Kecleon standing up without any injuries. "How did it survive Pikachu's Thunder!" Ash wondered.

"_Simple __Ash, remember that before this Thunder attack, the last attack Kecleon took was Pikachu's Thunderbolt, so Kecleon has been an Electric-Type all this time, lessening the damage from Thunder,"_ Latios clarified.

Ash growled. _'I never expected that ability to be so effective. I need to change Kecleon's type!'_

"Ready for more?" Harrison asked with a smirk.

"Always! That Kecleon's good, but so is Pikachu!" Ash replied. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" _'That will make Kecleon a Steel-Type, which would make Electric-Type attacks effective again" _Ash thought as his plan came into place. He paused. _"If this is Harrison's first Hoenn Pokémon, then I wonder what the rest will be like?'_

Latias giggled. _"Don't worry Ash, you can prevail. Just think clearly and don't let his Pokémon intimidate you."_ Ash smiled and nodded in gratitude.

Pikachu's tail shined a bright white as he charged forward, heading toward the waiting Color Swap Pokémon. _'He's probably trying to change Kecleon's type to make electric attacks effective again, I can't allow that!' _Harrison thought. "Kecleon, use Shadow Sneak!"

"Shadow what!" Ash repeated incredulously. Kecleon's shadows drifted forward at amazing speeds. Before reaching Pikachu, the shadow somehow leaped into the air and struck Pikachu in the chest, hurling him back. He panted in tiredness.

"Pikachu seems tired," the MC noted. "This Kecleon is tough!" The crowd cheered.

"This is bad," Ash muttered. "He knows that I want to change Kecleon's type, but he's stopping me from doing so." He paused. "Pikachu, return!"

Pikachu looked at Ash in surprise, but complied and ran back to him. The color around Pikachu's icon faded, but the image remained in place. "And Ash Ketchum has decided to rest Pikachu. What will Ash's next choice be?" the MC wondered.

"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash shouted while throwing a Pokeball. In a bright flash of light Bayleef appeared. Up on the screen, Bayleef's icon appeared as well.

"And Ash's next choice is his Bayleef! How will the Grass-Type deal with this tricky Pokémon?" the MC wondered.

"_Bayleef? Why Bayleef?"_ Latias wondered. _"Don't you need a fast Pokémon to counter Kecleon?"_

'_My problem is that Kecleon does m__any things to avoid being attacked, and when I do manage to land a hit, it's not very effective. I can fix that with Bayleef, and besides, Harrison is probably expecting another fast Pokémon,'_ Ash explained. Latias and Latios stared intently at the field, wondering what Ash's plan was. They could simply read his thoughts to know it, but where was the fun in that?

"I'm counting on you Bayleef!" Ash shouted enthusiastically. Bayleef gave an eager nod and readied herself, not wanting to let down the object of her affections.

"Kecleon, turn invisible and run around! Bayleefs aren't fast Pokémon!" Harrison instructed. Kecleon camouflaged itself and began to run around. "Then use lick!"

Ash smirked. "That's what I knew you'd do." Harrison gave Ash a confused look. Ash closed his eyes and began to sense Kecleon's movements. "Bayleef, tangle Kecleon up with your Vine Whip! It's on your left!"

Bayleef shot a vine to her left. Kecleon tripped and reappeared, much to Harrison's disbelief. Bayleef wrapped the vine around Kecleon's legs to hold it in place._ 'Now Kecleon is a Grass-Type because it was hit with Vine Whip,'_ Ash thought. "Bayleef, use Headbutt!"

Bayleef nodded and charged at the tangled-up Kecleon. "Free yourself!" Harrison shouted. Kecleon couldn't free himself in time and was rammed by Bayleef's attack, her superior physical strength easily sending it flying and crashing into a rock.

"Wow, what a hard hit!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

'_Now Kecleon is a Normal-Type,'_ Ash thought. "Finish this with Solar Beam!" Ash shouted. Bayleef nodded and absorbed sunlight through her neck leaves as they started shinning brightly.

"Kecleon, move out of the way!" Harrison shouted frantically. Kecleon stood up and got ready to move away, until something tugged at its leg. The Kecleon look down in horror as it realized that even after the Headbutt attack, Bayleef still hadn't released its legs. Bayleef fired the Solar Beam as Kecleon tried to free itself desperately. The blast struck Kecleon in the chest, creating a bright explosion. Once the blast died down, Kecleon was lying face up, its eyes turned to swirls.

"Kecleon is unable to battle!" the referee called. Up on the screen, Kecleon's icon faded completely. Harrison returned the defeated Pokémon.

"What a great combination!" the MC commented excitedly. The crowd cheered again, impressed with how the battle was going so far.

"_That was an interesting idea,"_ Latios commented.

'_Thanks,'_ Ash replied.

"Not bad Ash!" Brock called from the bench. "That's one down!" Politoed and Togepi began cheering happily for Ash, though only Ash could understand them.

Misty smiled. "Good luck Ash! You're doing great! Show him that Hoenn Pokémon won't be enough to beat you!"

Ash smiled at his friend's cheers and sweatdropped when he saw that Bianca was furiously scribbling in her sketchbook, probably drawing something.

Harrison grabbed his next Pokeball. "Swellow, Go!" Harrison threw the Pokeball and a medium sized blue and red feathered bird-like Pokémon appeared, chirping proudly as it flew around.

"Okay, I guess that's a Flying and Normal Type right?" Ash asked.

"_Yep,"_ Latios confirmed. _"Are go going to switch Bayleef out?"_

'_No,'_ Ash answered. _'I have a good idea how to beat that Pokémon with Bayleef. Besides, Harrison will expect me to switch out. This'll surprise him,' _Ash explained.

Again, Latios and Latias wondered what Ash was planning, and like before, they chose not to peek at his thoughts to find out, mainly because if they did, they'd question the idea so much about how illogical it was that they'd get a headache, so they preferred to watch it in action instead. _"Seriously, where does Ash get all his crazy ideas! _Latias telepathed to Latios.

"_Honestly… I don't know. For now I guess we'll have to wait and find out,"_ he answered.

"Ash seems to be planning on leaving Bayleef on the field," the MC commented, confused. "What does he have in mind?"

"Hmm, interesting," Brock noted.

"Swellow, use Quick Attack!" Harrison ordered. Swellow quickly tucked its wings close and dived towards the Grass-Type at a very fast speed.

"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted. Bayleef swung the leaf on her head and released several spinning razor-sharp leaves at the incoming Flying-Type. Swellow dodged the attack, forcing it to take to the air again and stop its dive.

"Swellow, use Wing Attack!" Harrison commanded. Swellow squawked and lunged for the Grass-Type yet again, its wings glowing a soft white.

"Bayleef, shield with a rock!" Ash shouted. Bayleef quickly got Ash's plan and hid behind a rock, forcing Swellow to stop his attack and take flight, because if it crashed against a rock at that speed, it might break a wing.

"Very clever! Bayleef has a perfect cover from Swellow's attacks!" the MC shouted.

"What!" Brock exclaimed, clearly impressed.

"You have to use the field to your advantage," Ash explained. "As long as Bayleef remains hiding by a rock, Swellow can't hit her."

"That's brilliant," Misty said in disbelief. "Good work!"

Ash smiled. "What happened to the 'you'll probably lose' part?"

Misty laughed. "Just toying with you." Ash sweatdropped.

Harrison growled slightly, he had been sure that Bayleef was going to be defeated quickly. _'He probably knows that if he uses Pikachu I'll immediately switch Swellow out…'_

"Bayleef, Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted. Bayleef stepped out from behind her cover and fired a flurry of razor sharp leaves at the airborne Swellow. The Flying-Type immediately evaded her attack.

"Swellow, quick, while Bayleef is out of its cover, use Wing Attack!" Harrison shouted. Swellow again dove as fast as it could, its wings shining.

"Bayleef, take cover again!" Ash shouted.

"Not this time! Swellow, get close and use Peck!" Harrison shouted. Swellow stopped the Wing Attack and flapped its wings quickly, stopping and landing on the rock closest to Bayleef before lunging forward.

"Bayleef, try to dodge!" Ash shouted. Bayleef began taking quick backward steps, trying her best to avoid Swellow's Pecks. A few hit her anyway, doing quite some damage considering the type disadvantage. Ash got an idea. "Quick, change to offense, use Headbutt!" Ash shouted. Knowing that Bayleef had superior weight, she should easily win a direct close combat match, and that was just what happened. She quickly stopped her back steps and charged head first at the Swellow, who was too surprised by her sudden change of tactics to react in time and was hit head on by the attack. "Use your Vine Whip to jump and use Body Slam!" Ash ordered.

Bayleef nodded and thrust her vines into the stony floor as hard as she could while leaping, resulting in her being lifted a few meters into the air. She aimed and let gravity do the rest as she came down on the Flying-Type. Harrison got a very worried expression on his face. "Swellow, get away with Quick Attack!" he ordered frantically, impressed that a _Grass-Type_ of all types was giving Swellow such a hard time.

Swellow flapped its wings fast and took off with Quick Attack, evading Bayleef's Body Slam at the last second. "What an impressive display of close combat!" the MC cried. "I've never seen a Grass-Type deal so well with a Flying-Type!" The Crowd cheered.

Bayleef growled slightly, but at least she felt proud that she was so far winning against a Flying-Type. Would that last much longer, though? "Swellow, use Wing Attack!" Harrison ordered.

"Take cover!" Ash shouted.

Harrison hit his forehead with his palm. "Not that again…"

The Flying-Type dove toward Bayleef as she ran to hide behind a rock. Swellow growled as it prepared to change course again and fly back up. "Grab its wings with Vine Whip!" Ash ordered.

"What?" Harrison exclaimed. Bayleef extended her vines and shot them forward. Swellow gave a startled chirp and flapped frantically to get away, but was too late. The vines wrapped around the base of its wings.

"Smash him down, and then use Solar Beam!" Ash ordered. Bayleef reeled her vines in and with a powerful pull, slammed Swellow onto the floor as hard as she could. Her leaves shined brightly as they gathered power and released a mighty Solar Beam.

"This could be it, folks!" the MC announced.

"Swellow, Use Aerial Ace!" Harrison shouted. He was impressed as hell that a Grass-Type had almost beaten Swellow, but he still had a trump card left.

Ash looked confused. "Aerial what?"

Swellow smirked and with a massive display of speed, broke free of Bayleef's Vine Whip, almost seeming to disappear from the sheer speed it flew at, evading the Solar Beam in the process. The next thing that anyone could see was Swellow slamming into Bayleef so fast that Bayleef was very forcefully slammed into the same rock she had used to shield herself, shattering it completely. "Bayleef!" Ash cried.

"Now, that's what I call a perfect counterattack!" the MC shouted. The crowd cheered.

"Bayleef is unable to continue battling!" the referee called. Bayleef's icon faded from the screen, leaving with both trainers with one Pokémon down.

Ash returned the defeated Grass-Type. "You were amazing," Ash whispered to Bayleef's Pokeball. _'If I choose Pikachu again, he's going to switch Swellow out. I need someone else to defeat it,' _Ash thought. He grabbed another Pokeball. "Go, Squirtle!" he shouted, hurling the Pokeball. With a bright flash of light the shade-wearing Water-Type was released.

"And Ash has chosen his very cool Squirtle as his third Pokémon!" the MC bellowed.

Harrison hummed in thought. _'I expected him to send Pikachu. I may need Swellow for later on anyway, so I'd better switch out.' _He grabbed his Pokeball and pointed it at Swellow. "Return!" A red beam shot from the Pokeball and engulfed the Flying-Type, returning him inside the Pokeball. Up on the screen, the light around Swellow's icon disappeared.

"And Harrison has switched out Swellow. What will be his next choice?" the MC wondered.

Harrison grabbed his next Pokeball and threw it. "Go, Shiftry!" A human-sized brown Pokémon with incredibly long shaggy white hair and what seemed like leaf-made fans for hands appeared. Up on the screen, its icon formed in the third slot of Harrison's team.

"What is that?" Ash wondered. "It looks kinda weird."

"_That's a Shiftry. It's a Grass and Dark-Type. Watch out Ash, they'__re fast,"_ Latios explained.

"Thanks," Ash whispered. "Squirtle, get ready!"

Squirtle nodded and adjusted his shades. "This should be good."

"Shiftry, use Faint Attack!" Harrison ordered. Almost immediately, Shiftry lunged forward, becoming a blurry image from the speed at which he moved, dark energy crackling around him.

"Squitle, use Hydro Pump!" Ash shouted. Squirtle quickly tucked his limbs into his shell and spun in place, releasing a potent blast of water. Shiftry crashed against the spinning fortress of raging waters and was sent flying back. "Quickly, use Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Squirtle stopped spinning and fired a stream of pressurized water, hitting Shiftry in the chest and slamming it into a rock before Harrison could even tell him to dodge.

"That was a very fast and precise attack!" the MC noted.

"Shiftry, get in there and use Whirlwind!" Harrison shouted. Shiftry made a quick leap, propelling itself a few feet into the air. With a cry he swung his fan-like hands, sending a powerful blast of wind at Squirtle, pushing the Water-Type back as he did his best to resist the intense winds.

"Hang in there Squirtle!" Ash shouted.

Harrison smirked. "Use X-scissor!" Shiftry's leaf fans began glowing a light green tone as he charged at Squirtle. When he was in front of the turtle-like Pokémon, the Wicked Pokémon made an X-slash, hitting the Water-Type rather hard and sending him stumbling back.

"Quick, Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Squirtle quickly aimed and fired a potent Water Gun. The close distance was not enough for Shiftry to react as it was hit, sending it back.

"Both Pokémon are fighting fiercely!" the MC shouted excitedly. "So far, this battle is great!"

"Shiftry, use Seed Bomb!" Harrison shouted.

"What's that!" Ash wondered. "Squirtle, get ready!"

"_Ash, Seed Bomb is a very powerful Grass-Type move, be careful!"_ Latias warned.

Shiftry opened its mouth as it started shinning a bright white. Several green flares were fired, raining down on the Water-Type. Ash growled a little when he saw the attack. _'Squirtle isn't fast enough to dodge that!' _he thought desperately.

"Like a rain of meteors, that attack covers a wide area! How will Squirtle dodge!" the MC wondered.

"Squirtle, use Hydro Pump!" Ash shouted.

"Right!" Squirtle agreed. He tucked his limbs inside his shell and started spinning, releasing a potent blast of water. The Seed Bomb started crashing down on the field, creating small explosions. Several of the projectiles smashed against the spinning water fortress that was Squirtle. He managed to resist the impacts, through he was still taking damage.

After the Seed Bomb attack ended, Squirtle charged forward, wanting to hit the Wicked Pokemon with his still-going Hydro Pump. "Shiftry, use Twister!" Harrison shouted. Shiftry pushed its arms forward and created a cyclone of raging winds, forcing Squirtle back and breaking his Hydro Pump. "Now, use Shadow Ball!" Shiftry joined both fans and generated an orb of shadows. He hurled it forward as it used the previous twister attack as cover, also gaining a bit more force as it continued its path towards the Water-Type.

"Squirtle, look out!" Ash shouted a bit too late. Squirtle was hit by the twister-powered up Shadow Ball, causing the compressed shadows to glide past him as the attack exploded. He was sent stumbling back until he collapsed, completely out cold.

"Squirtle is unable to continue battling!" the referee shouted. Up on the screen, Squirtle's icon faded, leaving nothing but a black silhouette. Ash returned the defeated Water-Type.

"Looks like that Shadow Ball was too much!" the MC commented. "Ash Ketchum is down to four Pokémon!" The crowd cheered.

"Pikachu, ready to enter the battle again?" Ash asked, looking at the Electric-type with a grin.

Pikachu nodded eagerly. "Of course!" Pikachu charged back into the field. Up on the screen, Pikachu's icon was surrounded by an orange light again, indicating he was back in the battle.

"And Ash has decided to continue with Pikachu. Between these two Pokémon, we'll see a real battle of speed!" the MC bellowed over the stadium's speakers.

"So, Pikachu again eh?" Harrison questioned. "If it's a battle of speed you want, then it's a battle of speed you'll get!"

"Make sure your Pokémon can keep up!" Ash responded. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Pikachu nodded and charged at the Wicked Pokémon at incredible speeds.

"Shiftry, use Twister!" Harrison shouted. Shiftry quickly moved both fan-like hands, sending a colossal cyclone of raging winds at the Electric-Type.

"Pikachu, dodge with Agility!" Ash shouted. Pikachu nodded and exerted a massive burst of speed, becoming a blur as he quickly passed besides the twister and headed toward the Grass and Dark-Type.

"And with an impressive display of speed, Pikachu evades the Twister attack!" the MC narrated. The crowd cheered loudly.

"Shiftry, quick, move with Quick Attack and then use X-Scissor!" Harrison shouted. Shiftry charged forward with Quick Attack before turning sideways and moving away, causing Pikachu to miss him. He made a sharp turn as his fans started shining a soft green.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered. Pikachu quickly bounced off a rock and charged, his tail glowing a bright white as it hardened to steel-like properties.

Shiftry made a battle cry as it slashed both arms forward in an X-shape. Pikachu swung his tail, slamming it against Shiftry's leaf-made fans. Both Pokemon cancelled each other out, their attacks remaining locked together, Pikachu's Iron Tail stuck between the leaf fans of X-scissor.

"What a display of close combat! These two Pokémon sure are powerful!" the MC noted.

Ash smirked. "Thunder!" Pikachu smirked as his cheeks sparkled violently.

"Shiftry, use Hyper Beam!" Harrison bellowed. Shiftry opened its mouth and started gathering an orb of volatile energy mere inches away from Pikachu.

Both attacks were released at the same time. Pikachu unleashed a potent blast of electricity, engulfing both Pokémon as Shiftry fired the Hyper Beam, the extremely high-voltage electricity of Pikachu's attack causing the volatile energy making up the Hyper Beam to detonate just as it was being released by the Wicked Pokémon. The result was a massive explosion that shattered rocks and covered the field in smoke.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, concern clear in his voice.

"Shiftry!" Harrison shouted, equally concerned for his Pokémon.

"What a potent explosion! Shiftry and Pikachu have clashed with true power, but who will prevail!" the MC bellowed dramatically. The crowd watched intently. When the smoke cleared, both Shiftry and Pikachu were standing up, both looking completely worn out. They glared at each other and took a step forward at the same time, both wanting to continue the fight…but the tiredness of their previous battles plus this one was too much. Their feet failed as they both collapsed to the field, completely out cold.

"Both Shiftry and Pikachu are unable to continue battling!" the referee shouted, raising both flags. "Since Ash Ketchum has lost three Pokémon, a short five minute break will be taken!"

"And thus concludes the first half of the battle folks!" the MC roared over the speakers.

Harrison grabbed a Pokeball and returned Shiftry while Ash walked into the field, cradled Pikachu in his arms, and walked back to the bench where his friends were. Ash took a small glance at the screen. He had three black silhouettes while Harrison had two, plus the icon of Swellow. Ash reached the bench and handed Pikachu to Brock, who immediately took out one of his super Poke-potions. "Pikachu seems fine," Brock informed. "Nothing I can't patch up." He started to tend to the unconscious mouse.

Ash sighed in relief as he took a seat. "This battle is hard. Those Hoenn Pokémon always have something to surprise me every time I think I'm in control."

"Check this out," Bianca said as she showed Ash her sketchbook. It had a drawing of the battle between Swellow and Bayleef.

"Wow, looks nice Bianca," Ash said as he looked at the picture. "Anyway, all I have left is Snorlax, Charizard and Latios to deal with Harrison's remaining four Pokemon. This isn't going to be easy…"

Misty smiled. "Well, make sure that whoever you send in first manages to at least knock out Harrison's choice. That way you'll even the field."

"_But don't underestimate Harrison's remaining three Pokemon, plus his Swellow,"_ Latios advised.

"Yeah," Ash muttered, looking across the field as Harrison sat on his bench, a thoughtful look on his face.

Meanwhile, in the stands…

"Ashy-boy is doing great holding off Harrison's Pokémon," Gary commented.

"Yeah, and I've taken lots of cool pictures!" Delia chimed.

"Elm, do you think Harrison is ready to take on Latios?" Professor Oak asked.

"I don't know," Professor Elm answered. "Latios has proven to be rather powerful." He looked at Ash's bench. "And I know he's there with Ash right now, invisible, probably with Latias as well."

Gary turned to look at him in confusion. "Latias?"

"Ah, you haven't talked to Ash recently?" Professor Elm asked.

Gary shook his head. "I just talked to him for a few minutes the night he defeated me. I haven't seen him since then. I knew he'd need time to train with his team. I didn't want to interfere."

"Well," Delia begun. "The Pokémon you fought, Latios, has a sister. Her name is Latias. She too is under Ash's care, though not captured yet."

"Wow, so Ashy-boy has two Legendary Pokémon? Now I'm even more jealous! But why doesn't she battle?" Gary wondered.

"Well, according to Ash, she dislikes battling, so she prefers to sit back and cheer Ash and Latios on," Delia answered, remembering what Ash told her when she asked the very same question.

"A Pokémon that dislikes battles?" Gary questioned. "Is that possible? Why?"

Delia turned to look at him. "Well, Ash told me that she hasn't told him why, all she said is that she dislikes to battle."

"Okay," Gary replied. He turned to look back at the field. "Good luck Ash…"

In another part of the stands, Team Rocket was watching. "Nice battle," James commented.

"Yeah," Meowth agreed.

"Just more motivation to capture the twerp's Pokémon!" Jessie shouted excitedly. Some people stared at her oddly.

"Stop saying weird things and give me my popcorn!" someone shouted.

"Team Rocket selling popcorn at the speed of light!" All three members shouted as they started selling their products back to the crowd.

The Referee took a small glance at his watch. "The five minute rest is now over. Both trainers please step back to the field!"

Ash smirked and stood up, Harrison doing the same. Both walked back to their respective trainer boxes. "Good luck Ash! Win this one!" Misty shouted.

"You can do it Ash, you can win!" Bianca cheered. "You too Latios!"

"_Thanks,"_ Latios telepathed back in gratitude.

"Good luck!" Brock cheered as well. Pikachu stirred in Brock's lap as he woke up.

"Ouch, remind me not to detonate a Hyper Beam in my face next time…" Pikachu grumbled. He looked around. "Did I miss anything?"

Brock sweatdropped. "I can't understand you… damn, Ash's ability is making me jealous."

Pikachu chuckled and walked to where Ash was, jumping to his shoulder. "Sorry I lost," Pikachu apologized in a sad tone.

"It's okay," Ash replied softly, rubbing the Electric-Type behind the ear gently, earning a small squeal of delight. "You were great anyway."

"The Battle seems ready to begin!" the MC started. "The second half of what has been a truly exciting match! Which trainer will prevail? The most surprising trainer of the Silver Conference so far, Ash? Or the more experienced Harrison of the Hoenn Region? Remember folks, the winner of this match goes to the top 4. On an interesting note, if Ash Ketchum advances to the Semi-finals, he would be the youngest trainer ever to make it to the top four of any league at the age of eleven years and ten months old!" That was a very surprising feat, as the top four of the Leagues were usually reached by stronger and more experienced trainers, not rookies.

"Both trainers continue the battle!" the Referee shouted.

Harrison grabbed a Pokeball as he made the first move. "Go, Blaziken!" he shouted as a vaguely humanoid red and cream-feathered Pokémon was released. Blaziken gave a mighty roar as its wrists ignited. Up on the screen, Blaziken appeared in the fourth slot of Harrison's Pokémon.

"And Harrison's next Pokémon is a Blaziken. Things are getting interesting!" the MC shouted. The crowd cheered excitedly.

"Wow, what's that?" Ash wondered.

"_I believe we are looking at Harrison's starter Pokémon, a Blaziken,"_ Latios answered.

"That's one of the starter Pokémon of Hoenn?" Ash asked.

"_It's the fully evolved for__m of one, a small Pokémon called Torchic,"_ Latias answered.

"Okay. Anything I should know?" Ash asked.

"_Yes. Blaziken are strong contenders. T__hey're Fire and Fighting-Types, can leap very high in the air, and deliver powerful kicks,"_ Latios said.

'_Hmm, Fire and Fighting-Type…Snorlax would be weak against it, Latios would have a good advantage, but if I send Latios in, Harrison will probably switch out immediately. That leaves me with one choice…'_ Ash thought as he grabbed his next Pokeball. "Charizard, I choose you!" he shouted as the hurled the Pokeball.

The great fiery dragon-like Pokemon appeared on the field. "Ah, about time it was my turn," Charizard commented. He looked at his opponent and smirked when he saw what it was. "A strong opponent…this is interesting."

"And Ash's choice is his Charizard! Talk about fighting fire with fire! This match should be good!" the MC shouted. Up on the screen, Charizard's icon appeared as well.

Harrison hummed in thought. _'I have to be careful, that Charizard is extremely powerful from what I saw last match.'_

Charizard glared at the Blaziken. "Try to be a good opponent."

Blaziken glared back. "Let's see who the strongest Fire-Type is," it replied in a masculine voice. The curtain for a very heated battle was thrown off as both Blaziken and Charizard stared off at each other.

Ash took the initiative. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!" he commanded. Charizard reared his head back and spat a powerful stream of fire at Blaziken.

"Blaziken, counter with your own Flamethrower!" Harrison countered. Blaziken's wrists flared up as he spat his own Flamethrower. Both fire attacks collided and formed into a massive ball of flames, heating up the stadium.

"What a duel folks! This is one fiery match!" the MC joked.

The fire sphere died down as Charizard and Blaziken glared at each other. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" Ash shouted. Charizard gathered an orb of orange crackling draconic energy in his jaws and fired it at the Blaze Pokemon.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" Harrison shouted. Blaziken opened his beak and spat a stream of fire at the incoming attack. Both attacks collided and exploded, creating a cloud of smoke. "Use Blaze Kick!" Harrison shouted.

Blaziken ran out of the smoke at startling speed. Blaziken jumped very high as his right leg was engulfed in fire, and quickly started descending. "Charizard, fly away!" Ash shouted. With a mighty flap of his wings, Charizard flew up and moved to the side rather quickly, causing Blaziken to miss in his kick, hitting the stone floor extremely hard and cracking it from the sheer force of the attack. "Now, use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

Charizard reared back and spat a powerful stream of fire at the Blaze Pokemon. "Blaziken, dodge with a jump and use Fire Punch!" Harrison ordered. Blaziken quickly leaped into the air, evading the Flamethrower attack as it passed underneath him. His right hand curled into a fist as it was covered in flames. With a powerful swing, he punched Charizard. Charizard cried in pain, but quickly recovered and lashed out with his tail, hitting the still-airborne Blaziken and sending him crashing back to the field.

"What a nice counter!" the MC noted. "Which Fire-Type will prevail?"

"Charizard, use Seismic Toss!" Ash commanded. Charizard descended quickly, intending on grabbing Blaziken to use one of his strongest attacks.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!" Harrison shouted. Blaziken opened his beak and fired a stream of flames at the incoming Flame Pokémon. Due to the fact that Charizard was flying very fast, he was unable to move away in time and was hit head-on by the flames.

With a mighty flap from his wings, Charizard broke the flames apart. "Use your own Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. Charizard took a deep breath and then spat a stream of fire.

"Blaziken, use Fire Punch!" Harrison commanded. _'I have to admit, this battle is tough! Who would have thought an eleven-year old was this strong?'_

Blaziken's right wrist released a large amount of flames as the entire arm was covered in fire. He threw the first in front of him, the Flamethrower colliding with Blaziken's arm, completely splitting the fire stream as Blaziken refused to give in. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage then Seismic Toss!" Ash shouted.

Charizard stopped the Flamethrower and quickly spat a blazing orb of draconic energy. The second the Flamethrower ceased, Blaziken looked up only to see a huge sphere of energy heading directly at him. "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!" Harrison ordered frantically.

Blaziken's right leg was covered in fire as he kicked upwards, splitting the energy sphere attack in half and disintegrating it. He smirked and gasped when he saw Charizard only a few meters away from him, flying at high speed. He had no time to react as the Dragon-like Pokémon grabbed him by the midsection and flew into the sky with a mighty flap of his wings.

"This could be it!" the MC shouted as Charizard gained altitude. "That's one powerful attack!"

Harrison growled. "This is bad… Blaziken, use Flamethrower!"

Blaziken barely heard Harrison, but he obeyed nonetheless. He opened his beak and fired a point-blank Flamethrower, hitting Charizard dead center in the chest as both Pokémon kept gaining altitude. They were engulfed in a maelstrom of fire as a result. Even so, Charizard continued flying. After making a few loops in the air, he dove for the arena. "Make it crash with you!" Harrison shouted as loud as he could.

Blaziken grabbed Charizard's neck in a strong grip, intending to do just that. Charizard had no time to change course as both Pokémon crashed into the stone floor of the arena, the firestorm that had been covering them creating a powerful explosion on impact.

"Wow! These two are giving an intense battle!" the MC bellowed as the crowd cheered loudly.

The fire died down to reveal Charizard and Blaziken in the middle of a crater at the center of the arena, their arms locked as they pushed against each other. Both were covered in cuts and bruises from the sheer force of the impact, but were otherwise fine. Blaziken broke free and spun around, kicking Charizard in the face and making him stumble to the side. He used this to his advantage as he continued the spin and lashed out with his tail, effectively smacking Blaziken away. "Flamethrower!" both trainers shouted at the same time.

Both Fire-Types fired a colossal continuous blast of flames, slamming into each other and pushing both back. Charizard growled. "You have certainly been a good opponent…" he remarked between pants. "But the end is near."

Blaziken gave a weak smirk. "If this ends, it will be with your defeat."

"It appears that these two battlers are ready for the final clash!" the MC shouted excitedly. The crowed cheered.

"Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!" Harrison shouted. Blaziken's leg ignited as he lunged forward.

"Catch it, then use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. Charizard smirked as he readied himself. Blaziken spun and launched a kick, aiming at Charizard's neck. Charizard brought his arms forward and caught the kick. He couldn't care less that it was covered in flames. Blaziken gave a startled squawk as Charizard headbutted him, knocking the wind out of Blaziken. With his head still lodged into Blaziken's midsection, Charizard released the most powerful flamethrower he had ever fired. Blaziken shrieked in pain at the sheer force behind the attack. He was propelled backwards as the flames consumed him, crashing against a rock and shattering it completely, raising a cloud of dust over the field.

"Oh no, Blaziken!" Harrison shouted. Charizard smirked, but his grin soon faded in exhaustion. Blaziken emerged from the rubble, walking weakly. Harrison smiled. "Great you're all right! Let's finish this! Use Fire Punch!" Harrison bellowed. Blaziken's right fist was covered in flames as he charged forward. He didn't make it halfway to Charizard before a sharp pain hit him in the chest. He froze, his eyes widening as he collapsed, the last of his energy spent. Charizard smirked. He had won. He was exhausted and covered in cuts and bruises, but he had won.

"Blaziken is unable to continue battling!" the Referee shouted. Up on the screen, Blaziken's icon faded completely, leaving Charizard as the victor of this duel of fire. With a sigh, Harrison returned the defeated Fire-Type back to the Pokeball.

"And Charizard has won folks!" the MC boomed excitedly. The crowd cheered loudly "Now, both trainers are down to three Pokémon!"

"Yes!" Charizard cheered. "I'm the top Fire-Type around here!"

"_Congratulations,"_ Latios telepathed.

"Now that you've seen how tough I am, will you battle with me?" Charizard asked hopefully.

"_No,"_ Latios telepathed flatly.

"Awww…it was worth a shot," Charizard muttered.

"Great work Charizard!" Ash praised. "Can you keep it up?"

"I'm fine; I've gotten worse from the other Charizards in the valley. This is how I usually end up after a warm-up," Charizard replied smugly. Ash, Pikachu and the Eon twins sweatdropped.

"Alright, if you say so," Ash replied.

Harrison smiled as he tucked away Blaziken's Pokeball. "I'm impressed," Harrison called, getting Ash's attention. "It's been a long time since my Blaziken lost, but, I'm not done yet. It's time for you to face my strongest Pokemon!"

Ash gave a small start._ 'His strongest? So soon?' _

Harrison threw a Pokeball to the field. "Go, Salamence!" As the pokeball opened, a huge Pokemon materialized on the field. It was a four-legged mostly blue Dragon Pokémon with large red wings and several red lines in its legs and tail, soft gray armor-like plates located on the underbelly and the underside of its neck, and three spike-like extensions splayed on either side of its head. Elm and Oak looked in wonder at the Pokémon. Delia kept taking pictures.

The Salamence reared its head back and gave a massive roar, causing Charizard to take a small step back in fear as Salamence's Intimidate ability activated. Ash's jaw dropped as he too took a step back as the Dragon Pokémon stopped roaring and glared at Ash and Charizard. Both of them gulped. "W-W-What is that!" Ash asked, clearly terrified.

"_Ash, that's one of the strongest __Pokémon from the Hoenn Region! It's a Salamence, a Dragon and Flying-Type. Watch out, they're extremely powerful!"_ Latios warned him.

Ash nodded. He turned to the massive Pokemon before him and Charizard. Harrison smirked. "Good luck fighting my most powerful Pokémon!"

"Wow folks! Talk about power! Salamence is Harrison's fifth Pokémon!" the MC said as Salamence's icon appeared on the screen.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard took a deep breath and exhaled a potent stream of fire at the Dragon Pokémon.

"Counter with your own Flamethrower!" Harrison ordered. Salamence opened his jaws and spat a stream of fire as well, colliding with Charizard's and cancelling each other perfectly. "Take to the skies, Salamence!" Harrison ordered. Salamence nodded as he proudly flapped his enormous wings, taking to the air.

"You too Charizard!" Ash shouted. The Fire-Type nodded and followed the Dragon Pokémon.

"Looks like this battle has been turned into an aerial game!" the MC shouted over the speakers.

"Charizard, Dragon Rage!" Ash shouted. Charizard took a deep breath and spat an orange sphere of draconic energies at Salamence.

"Salamence, Dragon Breath!" Harrison shouted. Salamence opened his jaws and fired a potent blast of green flames. The sheer force behind the attack was enough to rip Charizard's Dragon Rage attack apart.

"Charizard, dodge it!" Ash ordered. Chazard quickly turned to the side, dodging the blast of green fire. "Now, use Flamethrower!"

"Salamence, use Aerial Ace to dodge, then use Dragon Claw!" Harrison shouted. Salamence roared and lunged forward. With an impressive display of speed, he quickly flew aside and around the stream of fire, his front claws shining in a soft green light as he slashed at Charizard hitting him right in the chest. Charizard tried pushing Salamence away, but the Dragon Pokémon was twice his size and knocked him from the sky, the damage taken from the battle against Blaziken and Salamence starting to be too much.

"Charizard!" Ash shouted in alarm.

Charizard quickly flapped his wings to steady himself. He roared as a fiery red aura surrounded him, hyper-heating the air around him. His tail flame blazed brightly as it grew to a huge incandescent flame almost half as big as Charizard himself, his Blaze ability activating. He roared again as he quickly elevated, gaining the same altitude as Salamence. "Look like Ash's Charizard is nowhere near done!" the MC shouted excitedly.

"Wow, what's that?" Ash asked in wonder as he gazed at Charizard's power.

"_That's Bla__ze, it's an ability that allows some Fire-Type Pokémon to be powered up when they're about to be defeated,"_ Latias informed.

Ash grinned. "You're awesome Charizard! The true battle begins now, use Flamethrower!" Charizard opened his mouth and fired a colossal blast of fire, clearly overpowered due to Blaze.

"Salamence, use Hyper Beam!" Harrison shouted. Salamence began to gather an energy orb in his mouth. Seeing the Fire stream was getting near, he released the orange energy beam, both attacks colliding in midair and exploding forcefully, creating a massive shockwave.

Harrison squinted to see better, but all he saw was a huge cloud of smoke in the stadium's airspace. "And both attacks have collided! Who has the upper hand?" the MC wondered. Ash closed his eyes, sensing both Pokémon within the smoke cloud. He grinned a little when he remembered that a Pokémon had to rest after using Hyper Beam.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard spat another stream of fire tearing the smoke cloud apart. Salamence quickly used his Dragon Claw to stop the Flamethrower, splitting it into many smaller fire streams. What he didn't expect was for Charizard to suddenly appear in front of him and with a spin, hit Salamence on the side with his tail, and since the flame at its end just happened to be half as big as Charizard himself, it was a rather nasty hit.

"Salamence, use Dragon Breath!" Harrison shouted. Salamence quickly adjusted himself in midair and fired a stream of green fire, hitting Charizard in the chest and pushing him back, causing him to also lose altitude.

"Wow, a nice hit!" the MC remarked.

"Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered. With a mighty flap from his wings, Charizard shook off the Dragon Breath and spat a colossal blazing orb of draconic energy at least as big as him.

"Salamence, use Giga Impact!" Harrison bellowed. Salamence smirked and flew down at the Flying and Fire-Type. A golden orb of energy appeared in front of Salamence's head. Soon golden energy streaks started engulfing Salamence, and soon after that, a purple aura surrounded him as he approached the Dragon Rage.

"That seems like an extremely powerful move! Charizard, watch out!" the MC shouted.

Charizard's attack was no match for the Giga Impact. Charizard's eyes widened as he spat a Flamethrower on instinct, wanting to stop the incoming projectile, but again his attack was futile. Salamence crashed into Charizard, hitting him with a colossal amount of force, knocking the Flame Pokémon out instantly. He fell from the Sky and crashed to the floor of the arena.

"Charizard is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called. Ash growled slightly as he returned Charizard. The Fire-Type's icon disappeared from the screen, leaving Ash with two blank spaces, while Harrison still had Swellow and Salamence active, plus an empty space.

"That Pokémon is strong…" Ash remarked.

"_Well, Charizard was already weakened,"_ Latias pointed out.

"What will Ash's next choice be to counter Harrison's Salamence?" the MC questioned.

Ash grabbed his next Pokeball and threw it to the field. "Snorlax, I choose you!" Ash shouted. Thankfully for Ash, Snorlax was awake. He appeared with a huge yawn as his icon filled Ash's fifth slot. Snorlax scratched his belly lazily and grumbled about having to battle.

"And Ash's fifth Pokemon is his Snorlax!" the MC announced the obvious.

Harrison smirked. "One last Pokémon before I face Latios…Salamence, use DragonBreath!" Harrison shouted. Salamence took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of green fire at Snorlax.

"Snorlax, use Ice Punch!" Ash shouted. _'Snorlax is at a disadvantage as long as Salamence stays in the air. I need to have Salamence get closer!'_

Snorlax threw his ice covered fist and completely tore apart the DragonBreath attack with ease. Harrison growled slightly. "Salamence, use Dragon Claw!"

Salamence's claws glowed a soft green as he flew right at Snorlax. "Snorlax, use Ice Punch again!" Ash shouted. Snorlax's fist was covered in a thick layer of ice as he punched at the incoming Dragon Pokémon. Both attacks collided, neither giving in. "Snorlax, Use Body slam!" Ash ordered. Snorlax smirked and grabbed the Dragon's claw. With his superior weight, he slammed Salamence into the stony floor with a great crash.

"Ouch!" the MC commented. "What a hard hit!"

Snorlax jumped and slammed into the Dragon Pokémon's back, cracking the floor. Salamence gave a loud cry of pain. "Salamence, shake him off, use Crunch!" Harrison shouted.

Salamence twisted his neck and bit into Snorlax's arm, drawing a bit of blood from the bite and causing Snorlax to flinch. Using the fat Pokémon's loss of concentration, Salamence flapped his wings and shook off Snorlax. "Ice Punch!" Ash shouted quickly.

Snorlax twisted rapidly, something surprising for a Pokémon that big. The ice-covered punch landed in Salamence's side, forcing another cry of pain from the Dragon Pokémon as the super-effective attack took its toll on him. The Dragon Pokemon skidded a few meters from the sheer force behind the Ice Punch. "Hyper Beam!" Harrison shouted. Salamence roared as he gathered the energy required for the Hyper Beam.

"Snorlax, use Hyper Beam too!" Ash shouted. Snorlax too gathered energy. Both Pokémon continued charging what was one of the strongest moves in the Pokémon world.

"A clash of Hyper Beams!" the MC roared over the stadium's speakers. "Who will win!"

Both Snorlax and Salamence fired their respective Hyper Beams at the same time. The attacks collided and created a huge explosion, the resulting shockwave enough to force everyone against their seats, covering the arena in smoke, yet again. "Ice Punch!" Ash shouted.

"Dragon Claw!" Harrison shouted. The sound of a powerful clash was heard inside the cloud of smoke. After a minute, when the smoke finally cleared, Ash sighed when he saw a panting Salamence walk back. His Snorlax was on his back, his eyes turned into swirls.

"Snorlax is unable to continue battling!" the Referee bellowed as Snorlax's icon faded from the screen, leaving Ash down to his final Pokémon. Ash returned the fallen Pokémon, whispering congratulating words to the Pokeball as he tucked it away.

Harrison took a deep breath as everyone in the stadium watched expectantly. They all knew what was coming next. "And Ash Ketchum is down to his last Pokémon, folks!" the MC bellowed. "And we_ all_ know who Ash's final Pokemon is!"

Without being told to, Latios dropped his invisibility, appearing in a shower of shimmering blue lights beside Ash as his icon appeared in the huge screen atop the stadium. The stadium began cheering as Latios entered the field._ 'Wow, seeing him up close, it's an amazing feeling…' _Harrison though as he gazed closely at the first Legendary Pokémon he had ever seen. _'Salamence should rest a bit, and it's too soon for me to use my 'secret weapon.' I need to battle Latios first with another Pokémon so I can get the feel of fighting a Legendary Pokémon. Once I'm used to it, I can use my little surprise to beat him easily.' _He grabbed a Pokeball. "Salamence, return!" the large dragon Pokémon was returned. Latios cooked his head to the side in surprise. He had expected Harrison to leave Salamence out to battle him.

"And Harrison has withdrawn Salamence. What is he planning?" the MC wondered.

Harrison grabbed his next Pokeball. "Go, Swellow!" The blue and red bird appeared on the field again. The light around Salamence's icon faded and the light around Swellow's icon returned. "Swellow, use Wing Attack!" Harrison shouted. Swellow dived as its wing shined a bright white, flying straight at the Eon Pokémon.

"Latios, dodge!" Ash called. Latios calmly adjusted the power in his levitation, moving to the side in one fluid motion and gracefully evading the Flying-Type. The Flying-Type turned around and made another pass, this time aiming for Latios' back, but to its utter surprise, Latios calmly dodged to the side again. Latios may not have seen Swellow, but he had sensed him coming.

"Latios is demonstrating perfect flight control!" the MC noted.

Harrison growled. "Swellow, use Aerial Ace!" Swellow took an immediate burst of speed as he charged at Latios.

"Latios, take to the sky!" Ash shouted. Latios quickly took off, surprisingly evading the Aerial Ace. Swellow chased after him, but every time he tried to ram Latios, the Eon Pokémon would simply fly faster and get away. "Latios, get behind him and use Ice Beam!" Ash shouted. Latios nodded and with an impressive mid-air flip, he got behind the startled Swellow. He took a deep breath as he formed an orb of freezing energy in his mouth and unleashed several rays of blue light.

"Swellow, dodge!" Harrison shouted. Still using Aerial Ace, Swellow quickly flew around, evading the Ice Beams, even when Latios adjusted his aim by shifting his neck and body.

Ash smirked. "Fly to ground level!" Latios didn't question him and flew down, quickly reaching ground level and leaving Swellow alone in the skies.

"What is he planning?" Harrison whispered to himself. "Swellow, use Aerial Ace!" Swellow quickly took a steep dive as he descended with Aerial Ace.

"Latios, use Luster Purge!" Ash shouted. Latios smirked, getting Ash's idea. His body emitted a faint glow. Instead of concentrating the energy into a single blast, Latios slowly channeled the energy into his mouth, forming a sphere of light.

"Oh no! Swellow, dodge!" Harrison cried. Latios smirked as he fired his Luster Purge in the form of a bright beam of light, quickly ascending and forming a pillar of light. The Flying-Type moved to the side, evading the initial beam, but Latios turned his neck, redirecting the beam after Swellow. The Luster Purge caught up to him and exploded in a bright blast of light.

When the light faded, a knocked out Swellow fell from the sky. Harrison's reaction was a bit too slow, noting that Harrison was probably not going to be able to return Swellow in time and that the Flying-Type was heading for a rock, Latios decided to lend a claw. His eyes glowed as he used his Psychic powers to stop Swellow's fall and gently deposit the downed Flying-Type on the stony floor. "Swellow is unable to continue battling!" the Referee cried. Swellow's icon disappeared from the Screen.

Harrison breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Swellow was safe, he returned the defeated Pokémon to the Pokeball. "And Latios has his first victory without receiving a hit!" the MC noted. "And also saved his opponent from a rather nasty fall. Now that's sportsmanship!"

"Wow, I don't remember Luster Purge looking like that," Ash noted.

"_Well, Luster Purge is basically a psychic blast of intense light__. How I shape the light and the blast is up to me,"_ the Eon dragon replied.

"_A__www, you get a fancy light attack and all I get is a bunch of mist?"_ Latias complained.

Latios laughed. _"Well, your Mist Ball is also a formidable attack sis, you just have to be creative in how you use it."_

Latias grinned devilishly. _"I can be _very_ creative..."_

Latios chuckled nervously. _"That's what I'm afraid of…" _Latias giggled.

The MC's next comment broke the Eon twins from their conversation. "Well, Harrison has only two Pokémon left! Who will his next choice be?"

Harrison smirked. "Well, fighting a Legendary certainly is hard, but I came prepared." Latios turned to look at him. "Latios, the legendary eon dragon, prepare to be defeated."

Harrison threw his next Pokeball. "Go, Shedinja!" A small hollow Pokémon appeared, an insect exoskeleton that was brown in color with a grey lower body. Two nubs made its forearms and it had two horizontal slit-like eyes and unmoving wings with a gaping hole between them. A halo was floating atop of its head.

Latios gulped when he saw the Pokémon_. 'Oh crap, I'm busted.'_

"Wow, Harrison's sixth Pokémon is Shedinja!" the MC announced.

"Latios, use DragonBreath!" Ash shouted, wanting a quick win. Latios reluctantly prepared to fire the attack, not wanting to disobey Ash in front of the stadium, even though he already knew what was going to happen. Latios fired a powerful stream of white fire at the small Bug-Type. The Shed Pokémon didn't even more as the flames neared him. A soft yellow outline appeared around Shedinja as its Wonder Guard ability activated. The flames washed over it, and when the attack ended, Ash was surprised to see that the small Pokémon didn't even look like it had felt the attack. "Hey what gives! It was a direct hit!" Ash argued.

Harrison smirked. "Shedinja, Hyper Beam!" The halo atop Shedinja's body turned upright and aimed at Latios. A small orb of orange energy appeared in the very center as it started absorbing energy, growing bigger.

Latios growled. _'I know Ice Beam, Luster Purge, Psychic, DragonBreath and Tackle as offensive moves, but none of those can break Wonder Guard. Shedinja is a Ghost and Bug-Type, and I'm weak to both Types… I can't win, I have nothing to damage Shedinja!' _Latios thought, clearly worried. Shedinja fired the Hyper Beam, the bright orange beam headed directly at Latios. The Eon dragon growled as the attack neared him, wondering how was he supposed to battle an opponent he couldn't beat…

* * *

And, Chapter 18 has ended! Hope you all liked the Ash Vs. Harrison! So, tell me, did I do a better job that the anime? XD

So, how many of you saw Shedinja coming? Poor Latios… Hehehe

Anyway, stay tuned until next Chapter! And please, don't forget to **Review!**


	19. Limit Surpassed!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Telepathy"_

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I had some difficulties like moving to a new apartment. Anyway, here's chapter 19!

Also, I had some Reviews telling me that Ice Beam can work on Shedinja, which is false. Bug is not weak to ice. Bug-Type is only weak to Rock, Fire and Flying. Check it out on Bulbapedia or WikiDex if you want. If you want to go to more extremes… try Ice Beam on a Shedinja in a Pokémon game… it will not work.

* * *

"Latios, use Ice Beam!" Ash shouted frantically as he saw the Hyper Beam nearing his Dragon Pokémon. Latios took a deep breath as a small orb of freezing energy gathered in his mouth. He released three icy-blue zigzagging beams that collided with the incoming Hyper Beam, both attacks stopping in a stalemate.

The freezing temperatures cooled down the volatile energy of Hyper Beam within seconds. Shedinja's attack was soon weakening and it started to fade completely. Soon both beams cancelled each other out. Ash growled slightly. "Why didn't that earlier Dragon Breath attack do anything!" he wondered.

"_Ash, I hate to tell you this, but I don't think I can win,"_ Latios telepathed.

Ash looked confused. "Why?"

"_Listen, the Pokémon before us is called Shedinja. It has a very powerful ability called Wonder Guard, which means that only attacks that Shedinja is weak against__ will harm it. All attacks that are not effective or neutrally effective to it will be completely nullified, no matter how powerful,"_ Latios explained.

"_Shedinja is a Bug and Ghost-Type,"_ Latias continued. _"That means that only Rock, Fire, Flying, Dark, and Ghost-Type attacks can hurt it. Latios doesn't have attacks for any of those Types."_

Ash's eyes widened in alarm. "That's bad! How are we going to beat it!" he wondered.

Misty stood up. "Come on Ash! You can find a way! Use that deviant mind of yours to think of something, you can do it!"

"Yeah, you can do it!" Bianca cheered. "You too Latios!"

Ash smiled at his friends cheers. "They're right Latios, we can find a way to win this!"

"_I'll fight as best as I can,"_ Latios assured. _"Just think quickly, I'm weak to both Bug and Ghost-Type attacks!" _

Harrison grinned. "You should give up if Latios has nothing to beat Shedinja."

Ash smirked. "I _never _give up!"

"Very well then, Shedinja, use Shadow Ball!" Harrison ordered. The halo above Shedinja turned and aimed at Latios. An orb of concentrated shadow energies gathered inside it and was immediately launched at the Eon Dragon.

"Latios dodge it!" Ash shouted.

"I'm not letting Latios' speed beat me like before. Shedinja, use Shadow Ball again!" Harrison shouted. With a burst of speed, Latios flew upward, the Shadow Ball harmlessly passing where he had been a few seconds before. Shedinja gathered another Shadow ball and faded from sight, disappearing completely. It reappeared a few inches away from Latios, appearing like a Ghost, which it was. The blue Eon dragon gasped in surprise as the Shadow Ball in Shedinja's halo was fired. Latios had no time to move as the Shadow Ball exploded against him.

"Latios!" Ash cried worriedly.

"What a good maneuver from Shedinja, now Latios' speed is of no use!" the MC narrated.

Latios quickly emerged from the smoke that resulted from the explosion. Ash growled slightly. _'I can't order any attack because they will have no effect, and for Latios to learn an attack that can hurt Shedinja will take too much time. Think Ash, think!'_

"Shedinja, Shadow Ball again!" Harrison ordered. _'This is too easy. I can do anything I want and Latios can't even lift a claw to defend himself. I almost feel sorry I'll have to beat up a Legendary. Even so, I have to be careful. He is a Legendary Pokémon after all, he might have something to surprise me.'_

Shedinja aimed its halo and fired a black orb of concentrated shadows. "Latios, dodge!" Ash shouted. Latios nodded and quickly accelerated downwards, causing the Shadow Ball to miss.

'_He can gain time if he keeps using that speed of his to dodge Shedinja's attacks. I have to turn time against them,'_ Harrison thought. He smirked, getting an idea. "Shedinja, use Toxic!"

Shedinja's halo aimed downwards and fired a purple glob of poison at the floor. The glob expanded and impacted the center of the arena, making a foul stench as a deadly poisonous gas was released. "Latios, quick, fly up and get away from the poison cloud!" Ash shouted.

Latios nodded and took off skywards, but Harrison knew Latios was going to do that. "Shedinja, use Shadow Claw! Force Latios down!"

Shedinja disappeared and reappeared a few meters above Latios. The two nubs on Shedinja's front glowed an eerie purple as a dark energy tendril extended from each one, forming a pair of blades. The momentum Latios had from flying upwards made it impossible for him to stop in time as Shedinja slashed at him. He cried in pain as he was knocked from the sky. He quickly regained stability and righted himself, but it was too late, he was already inside the poison cloud. He had no time to take notice as he inhaled… and was severely poisoned. Latios' eyes widened in horror. _'Oh… shit.'_

"Looks like Latios has been Poisoned!" the MC cried as the poison cloud dissipated.

Ash growled. "Oh no…" he whispered. He began to look around frantically. _'Latios is getting beaten around! I need to find something quickly!'_ He spotted his mother, the Professors and Gary in the stands. They were seated close to the field so he could see them clearly. Delia was apparently talking with Professor Elm about something as Professor Oak looked intently at Latios. Gary was standing, shouting something. Though Ash couldn't him over the roar of the crowd, there was no doubt he was cheering for him. Ash smiled. _'Looks like I'll lose this battle… at least I defeated Gary, my eternal rival,' _Ash thought.

He sighed nostalgically as he got flashbacks of his fight with Gary, how Pikachu defeated Umbreon, how Charizard turned the tide of the battle, Gary's shocked face as he saw Latios, and Gary's reactions as Latios effortlessly defeated his remaining Pokémon, using the water to beat Nidoqueen and Arcanine. Ash chuckled. _'Water, it was really useful in that battle. It could help me now, at least it'd make a good shield for Latios… all I have now is a stupid Rock field.'_

He looked back at the field… and gasped, getting an idea. "A stupid Rock field… that's it! Shedinja is weak to Rocks!"

"Shedinja, now use Shadow Ball," Harrison ordered confidently, knowing that he had complete control of the battle. Shedinja took aim and prepared the Shadow Ball.

"Latios, we can still win! The field!" Ash shouted.

Latios looked down at the field. _"What's with the fi-"_ he paused, getting Ash's plan. He looked at Harrison and smirked. A chill went through the human's spine as Latios stared at him. For some reason, that stare was really frightening.

Latias smiled, clearly impressed. _'Good job Ash…' _the female Dragon thought. Everyone in Ash's bench was one again impressed by Ash's prowess to improvise plans for everything.

"Latios, we need more loose Rocks! The previous battles have weakened the field, so smash it up with Luster Purge!" Ash shouted to the Eon Dragon. "Take to the sky!"

Latios nodded… and cried in pain as he was engulfed in purple energy. He coughed as the Poison affected him. He shook it off as best as he could and took to the sky, flying upwards and, at the same time, dodging Shedinja's Shadow Ball. Ash smiled as he saw Latios soar. "Thanks Gary…"

Once he was at a decent height, far above the stadium, Latios's body glowed as he gathered as much power as he could. Harrison blinked in confusion. "Okay… What are they up to?"

Latios fired a huge orb of white light downwards, into the center of the field. Many people in the crowed covered their eyes, knowing the Luster Purge could be a little hard on the eyes. "And Ash Ketchum has ordered his Legendary Pokémon to attack the field! Why would he do that!" the MC wondered, like pretty much everyone else.

The sphere of light collided against the ground and exploded in a huge blast of light that covered the whole field. Latios smiled in satisfaction and flew downwards, but not before being surrounded in purple energy and taking another bit of damage from Toxic. Not noticing this, Ash smirked as he looked at the new battlefield. A crater from the Luster Purge crash was in the middle of the field, and the rest was rubble. Thousands of Rocks were sprawled all over the place, having been separated from the main field, which was now non-existent. "Wow! Latios has completely decimated the whole field! How will this fit into Ash's plans?" the MC wondered.

"Now that's more like it," Ash commented. "Latios, you know what to do."

Latios nodded as his eyes glowed a solid blue. Several dozen Rocks were surrounded by a faint blue outline as they were lifted by Latios' mental powers. Latios found himself thanking Brock for all that boulder-lifting training and meditation he'd been doing. Harrison's eyes widened in alarm. _'Why did we have to fight on a damn rock field!' _he cursed mentally. "Shedinja, dodge and use Shadow Claw!"

Shedinja readied itself. Latios sent the first barrage of rocks flying at it. Shedinja's small body was quite hard to hit as it levitated and flew around, frantically dodging Latios' barrage of Rocks. Shedinja suddenly disappeared from sight and reappeared below Latios. With a pair of Shadow Claws ready, he attacked the Eon Dragon, causing him to grunt in pain and clutch his chest, where the attack had hit. Latios' eyes flashed as a pair of Rocks were hurled at Shedinja, forcing the Bug and Ghost-Type to back away quickly. "What an impressive battle folks! There's a way for Latios to win after all!" the MC cried excitedly. The crowd cheered.

A Rock flew at Shedinja from behind. The Pokémon couldn't see it since it was coming from its blind spot. Latios knew it was going to hit… until a spasm of pain tore through him as his poisoned condition worsened, causing him to lose concentration and make the Rock fall harmlessly back to the field. "And the effects of Toxic are worsening!" the MC cried in alarm. "Latios better hurry and win before it's too late!"

Ash growled. "Damn Poison… wait, Psychic is strong against Poison, can't you remove the poison psychically?"

"_Well, A Psychic _can_ remove poison from its body or anyone else's with its mental powers, but only very skilled psychics can do that. I'm not that good yet,"_ Latios answered. _"I still need a lot more experience to even think of pulling off something like that successfully."_

"What happens if you try it now as you are now?" Ash asked curiously.

"_If I try, I could apply too much force__ accidentally and snap something inside me, like an artery or an organ, causing me to die from severe blood loss or blow up an entire part of my body,"_ Latios deadpanned. _"Treating a wound or removing poison psychically is _very_ delicate business."_

Ash turned green. "Let's not try it then…"

"_I agree,"_ Latias murmured.

"We have to trick Harrison and Shedinja so we can hit that damn bug… and fast, at least before the Poison finishes Latios off," Ash muttered. "Latios, keep throwing rocks!"

Latios nodded and lifted more rocks psychically, hurling them at the Shed Pokémon. "Shedinja, dodge and use Shadow Ball!" Harrison shouted.

Shedinja quickly disappeared and reappeared once again below Latios with a Shadow Ball in its halo. The sphere was fired and collided against Latios' chest, exploding violently. Latios cried in pain and clutched his chest, but quickly focused and sent a barrage of rocks at the Bug and Ghost-Type. The Shed Pokémon quickly evaded them, flying about and getting out of the way of every rock. "I need to find a way for Shedinja to stay in one spot so Latios can slam a rock into it…" Ash murmured. He quickly got an idea. "Latios, fly toward Shedinja as fast as you can and use Ice Beam!" Ash commanded.

Latios knew that Ice Beam wouldn't do anything, but he trusted Ash and knew that he had an idea. He charged at Shedinja as an orb of freezing energy formed in his mouth. He got within inches of Shedinja so fast that Harrison didn't get the chance to issue an order to his Pokémon. Latios fired the Ice Beam at close range, the attack striking and pushing the shed Pokémon back. Shedinja's body was surrounded in a faint yellow outline as Wonder Guard activated, completely nullifying all the damage from Ice Beam. However, Wonder Guard could do nothing to stop the ice from spreading and encasing Shedinja in a thick block of Ice.

Ash smirked. "Shedinja is finished. Latios, use Psychic on the rocks!"

Latios' eyes glowed a solid blue as he lifted several huge rocks and slammed them into the icy prison, tearing the ice apart and hitting Shedinja rather hard, forming an orb of compressed Rocks around Shedinja. The whole thing was surrounded in blue light as Latios dragged it down, slamming it into what was left of the battlefield. The rock prison was torn apart from the sheer force of the collision, revealing… a knocked out Shedinja. The referee nodded. "Shedinja is unable to continue battling!" he bellowed. Up on the screen, Shedinja's icon disappeared, leaving only Latios' and Salamence's icons on the screen.

"Ash has done it! Latios has defeated Shedinja!" the MC shouted excitedly. The entire stadium burst into wild cheers.

Harrison returned the defeated Pokémon, a worried expression on his face._ 'Now, all I have left is Salamence, but… he's tired,' _Harrison thought. He looked at Latios and noted that he wasn't in any good condition either. Latios was panting heavily and had a pained expression on his face, probably because of the effects of the poison, and he was clutching his chest because that close range Shadow ball had truly injured him. _'Latios is also tired. This goes down to the Dragon that can tolerate the most.'_ Harrison grabbed the Dragon Pokémon's PokeBall. "Salamence, go!"

The Dragon-Type appeared, panting slightly. He looked at Latios. "Guess the fact that you're still up means you defeated Shedinja," he stated.

Latios chuckled. "Indeed, and you're next."

"Now the battle is between Salamence and Latios!" the MC bellowed. "Who will win!"

"Salamence! Be careful, that Latios is extremely fast!" Harrison warned.

"Latios, use Ice Beam!" Ash ordered. Latios gathered an orb of icy energy and fired a blue three-beam blast of cold at Salamence.

"Salamence, counter with Flamethrower!" Harrison commanded. Salamence spat a powerful torrent of fire, easily ripping Latios' Ice Beam apart when the attacks collided.

"Latios, use Psychic!" Ash countered. Latios' eyes glowed as he used a powerful psychic blast, easily tearing apart and extinguishing the Flamethrower.

"And Latios' impressive Psychic abilities have completely rendered Salamence's Flamethrower useless!" the MC narrated.

"Salamence, Dragon Claw!" Harrison ordered. Salamence roared and with a powerful flap of his mighty wings charged forward. His front claws glowed green as he readied the attack.

"Latios, stop him with Psychic!" Ash shouted. Latios' eyes glowed again as he attempted to take control of the incoming Salamence's body. To his dismay, Salamence was coming so fast and with so much momentum, and since Latios was already so weakened, his psychic abilities were not strong enough to stop Salamence.

Ash's eyes widened as he saw the Salamence get closer to Latios. "Latios, fly away!"

Latios stopped his Psychic attack and prepared to take off, but he cried in pain as he was surrounded by purple energy, coughing violently as the effects of Toxic worsened yet again. Taking advantage of Latios' inability to move, Salamence slammed both Dragon Claws into him, crashing Latios into the rocky floor of the arena, inside the crater left by his Luster Purge. Latios cried in pain. Harrison smirked as he saw Salamence pinning Latios down to the floor. "Finish this, use Hyper Beam!"

Salamence's jaws opened as he gathered an orb of volatile orange energy in his maw, aiming it at Latios. Since the Eon Pokémon was pinned to the ground by his body weight, Salamence knew that he had no way out. Latios coughed as he tried to breathe, but had some trouble because Salamence was pinning him to the ground. _"Ash! I'm too weakened, I won't survive a direct Hyper Beam!"_ Latios telepathed frantically as Salamence's charge was nearly finished.

"This could be it folks! Latios seems defeated!" the MC commented.

"Latios! Use a rock!" Ash shouted. Latios' eyes glowed as he lifted a medium sized Rock and slammed it into Salamence's face, causing the still unfired Hyper Beam to detonate, creating a terrible explosion and making the crater even larger.

"Latios!/Salamence!" Ash and Harrison called at the same time, both clearly worried.

"And a colossal explosion shakes the battlefield! Which dragon shall emerge victorious?" the MC wondered. The crowd looked at the battlefield intently.

When the smoke cleared, both Salamence and Latios were lying a few meters from each other, and both were miraculously struggling to stand up. Each one pushing himself way past all their limits, neither of the two dragons wanted to let their trainer down and admit defeat. This was a duel of Dragons. Pride was also on the line, and neither Latios nor Salamence wanted to let another dragon beat them. Salamence was the first to recover completely and took to the air, Latios soon followed, both Dragons flying a few dozen meters from the ground, glaring at each other. "Both of them are up! This is impressive!" the MC commented excitedly.

Latios panted heavily as his vision started to darken and he began to feel light in the head. He pushed back the dizzy feeling, refusing to faint. "Salamence, this is the last stand, use Giga Impact!" Harrison bellowed.

"Latios! Use Luster Purge!" Ash shouted. Both Dragons took off at each other. Latios was covered in a huge sphere of light as he charged his Luster Purge. An orange energy orb appeared in front of Salamence's head as it formed several streaks of orange light, a purple aura coming into being as he transformed into an purple and orange missile.

With a deafening clash, both Dragons collided into each other, Latios with his Luster Purge and Salamence with his Giga Impact. As both dragons pushed against each other, Latios' attack was broken as he suffered another spasm of pain courtesy of that Toxic attack. With Latios' concentration destroyed, the Giga Impact tore through his Luster Purge easily. Latios coughed up as the Giga Impact collided against his chest and started pushing him towards the ground. Latios knew that the second Salamence collided with the stony floor, he would be knocked out.

Ash's eyes widened. "No…" he whispered, knowing that he would lose.

Latios pushed those thoughts back. He didn't want to lose this battle and have Ash eliminated, he was going to win no matter what! Without any command, Latios gathered what little power he had left as his body started glowing again with the power of Luster Purge. As Salamence collided against the stony floor, Latios released the energy in every direction, using his Luster Purge to create a ball of light, cushioning the impact a little and flinging Salamence back.

"This is certainly the most intense battle of the Silver Conference! And at its end, which dragon shall emerge victorious?" the MC narrated. Everyone watched intently as the blast died down.

When everything was clear, both Salamence and Latios were sprawled a few meters from each other, and neither of them were moving. The referee nodded and looked at the screen, then spared both Dragons a final look. "Since both are their trainer's last Pokémon, a tie can't be declared. The battle will go to the trainer whose Pokémon stands up first, or manages to stay up!" the Referee stated.

"Salamence, come on get up! I know you can!" Harrison shouted.

"Latios, get up! Please, you have to!" Ash pleaded.

Salamence stirred a little as his eyes opened. He tried to stand up, trembling heavily. He didn't get far as he fell once more. Even so, he once again tried to get up. Latios was still not moving.

"Latios get up please!" Ash pleaded once again.

"_Brother get up, you can do it!"_ Latias pleaded telepathically.

"Latios, come on, get up! If you do, you'll win!" Bianca shouted as well.

"You can do it! Win this one Latios!" Brock shouted.

"Latios, show how strong you are, all you have to do is get up!" Misty encouraged.

"Latios you _have_ to get up!" Pikachu shouted too.

The referee noticed that even with all their encouragement, Latios was still not moving. He started to raise the flag for Harrison' side, preparing to declare Harrison and Salamence as the victors. Latias noticed this. _"Quick brother, get up, please! Show them how strong you are! Prove it Brother! GET UP!" _she telepathed as loudly as she could.

Latios stirred as his red eyes opened. The referee noticed this and lowered the flag. Latios pushed his claws forward as he began to lift his neck. "Both Dragons are struggling to get up! Who will do it and make their trainer the winner!" the MC bellowed. The crowed began to cheer for the dragons to get up, some for Salamence and some for Latios.

Latios grunted as he felt a stab of pain from his chest. With a final push and exertion of his powers, Latios activated his levitation and hovered a few feet from the ground, looking extremely beaten and panting heavily. Salamence too managed to get up, panting heavily. Both dragons glared at each other, daring the other to admit defeat and collapse. Latios started to sway slightly, his vision going dark as he started to see about six Salamences and six Harrisons in front of him. It took all of his willpower not to faint on the spot.

Salamence gasped slightly as his legs failed him, a sharp pain hitting him in the neck and wings. He collapsed to the floor again, leaving Latios hovering before him. Salamence struggled weakly to get up again, but it was in vain. His eyes turned to swirls as he fainted. The referee nodded and raised the flag for Ash's side. "Salamence is unable to continue battling. The winner of this battle and the trainer going to the semi-finals is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Up on the screen, Salamence's icon faded. Ash's image was expanded to cover the entire screen, the word 'Winner' appearing below his photo.

Harrison dropped to his knees as he saw that he had lost. "This… can't be."

Instead of cheering, Ash immediately sprang towards Latios, with some difficulties considering that the field was now a bunch of loose rocks. Latios collapsed, his body landing harshly in the cold stony floor, but to his surprise, his head landed in a soft cushion. He weakly looked up and saw that Ash had caught him in his arms. "Thanks… Latios," Ash said as he hugged Latios.

The Eon Pokémon smiled weakly, feeling comforted in Ash's arms. "You're welcome." Latios felt something soft nuzzle him in his neck. He knew by instinct that it was Latias. "Hi, sis."

"_Congratulations on winning Brother, but look at you, you're a mess,"_ Latias telepathed, concern in her mental voice.

"It's… not that bad, is it?" Latios wondered. Latias used her psychic powers to project into his mind what she was seeing. Latios nearly choked as he saw how beaten up he was. "Funny thing is… I don't feel anything…" Latios said weakly. He cried in pain as he was once again attacked by the effects of Toxic. This time he was unable to resist it, and he fainted.

"Latios!" Both Ash and Latias cried.

"This looks bad Ash," Brock noted as he examined Latios. Ash nearly jumped out of his skin in fright, he was so caught up in his worry for Latios' wellbeing that he never saw Brock, Misty and Bianca came up to him. "You better get him to the Pokémon Center fast!"

"Right," Ash replied as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Latios, return!" The bright red light sucked Latios inside the Pokeball. Ash stood up and ran for the exit, going as fast as he could towards the Pokémon Center, Latias flying at his side the whole time. Brock, Misty and Bianca left too, through they went at a more sedate pace. In the stands, Delia, Gary and Professors Elm and Oak got up to follow them.

* * *

Running faster than he ever had before, Ash burst open the doors of the Pokémon Center. To his utter surprise, Nurse Joy already had readied a stretcher of an appropriate size to accommodate Latios. A Chansey and a Blissey were at her side. Ash looked at her dumbfounded. "But… How?"

Nurse Joy giggled slightly. "I saw your battle on TV. When I saw you running so fast out of the stadium, I guessed that it was because you were greatly worried for your Pokémon's health and you were rushing to get them to the Pokémon Center, something admirable in a trainer. Now let's make haste. Place the Latios on this bed, he's in the one in the most critical condition."

Ash nodded and held Latios' Pokeball, pointing it at the stretcher. "Latios, come out!" There was a flash of light as the still unconscious Latios was released onto the stretcher.

Nurse Joy nodded and pulled the stretcher into the advanced treatment room. Ash sensed that Latias was going to glide past him and into the room too, so he held out a hand and caught one of her wings, causing her to squeal and drop her invisibility. "Hey!" Latias yelled at him, slightly upset. "I want to be with my brother!"

Ash took a step back, not used to seeing Latias even remotely angry, considering she was usually happy and cheerful most of the time. "Err, but you can't enter…your brother will be fine, I guess," Ash replied nervously.

Latias was about to yell something when the Chansey interrupted her. "Excuse me Miss Legendary, I'm afraid you can't enter, you'd just get in the way. Please let the nurse treat your brother back to health, he'll be fine."

"The name's Latias…" she grumbled. "And why not!"

"Please calm down, your brother will be fine Miss Latias, he's in good hands. I assure you he'll be back up soon," the Chansey continued.

Latias huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine then," she replied, giving in.

Chansey smiled softly and turned to Ash. "May I have your remaining Pokémon please?"

Ash nodded and took out four Pokeballs, putting them in the tray in Chansey's small stubby hands. Ash turned to Pikachu, who was perched on his shoulder, as usual. "Want a small heal or are you okay buddy?"

Pikachu shook his head. "Na, I'm fine."

Chansey shrugged and carried the Pokeballs to another backroom of the Center. Ash took a seat in the one of the couches, waiting for Nurse Joy to heal his Pokémon. Bianca, Brock and Misty entered the Pokémon Center a few minutes later. They were a bit taken aback that Latias was in her Pokémon form, but didn't say anything as the lobby was empty save for Ash and Latias. Everyone was probably at the stadium since the second battle would begin soon.

"So," Bianca started as she took a seat beside Ash. "How's Latios?"

"I don't know," Ash answered. "He's in the treatment room."

Bianca sighed. "I hope he's alright."

"He's very strong, he'll be fine," Ash assured her. Everyone joined him on the couch.

"Latios was impressive, he defeated Harrison's Swellow, Shedinja and Salamence," Brock noted. "Too bad that he took so much damage in the process."

"Yeah, but I'm sure he'll be fine," Misty commented. "Right Latias?" A few seconds passed and she got no answer. Everyone looked to where Latias was.

They sighed when they saw Latias was floating a few feet in front of the door, staring at it intently, waiting for it to magically open and Latios to come out safe and sound. Bianca smiled sadly, stood up and gently wrapped her arms around Latias' neck from behind. Latias let out a squeal of surprise. "It's okay Latias, he'll be fine, come on and relax," Bianca chided in a loving tone, trying to soothe Latias.

Latias nodded slightly and glided back to the couch, floating beside it. At that moment Professors Oak and Elm along with Gary and Delia entered the lobby. "Well, hello everyone," Delia greeted. Gary froze when he saw Latias. He noted that she looked very similar to the Pokémon that Ash had used to beat him, Latios.

"So… She's Latias?" Gary asked. Latias nodded and gave a light squeal. "Nice to meet you," Gary continued. He turned to Ash. "So, how's Latios?"

Ash sighed. "I don't know… I hope he's alright."

"I hope so too. Congratulations on making it to the top four Ashy-boy," Gary commented.

Ash smiled. "Thanks Gary."

"But still, how is it that the little bug managed to take on Latios' attacks without suffering a single injury?" Gary asked.

Professor Oak stepped forward. "Well, the reason was because of the Wonder Guard ability, which makes Shedinja invincible to everything that it is not super-effective to it."

"The next move we teach Latios should be one that can break Wonder Guard," Brock grumbled.

"What really doomed Latios in that battle was the Toxic attack," Professor Elm commented.

"Yeah, that poisoned condition really affected him…" Delia muttered.

"But, at least he won in the end," Bianca praised. "But why were those two Pokémon so troublesome for Latios?"

"Well, take notice that Harrison is an older trainer from Hoenn, where it's easiest to catch Nincada and Bagon, the pre-evolved forms of Shedinja and Salamence. He must have had those two for years, so they were very experienced," Professor Elm explained.

"And Latios just started competing in Pokémon Battles almost two months ago," Oak continued.

Misty smiled. "When Latios is that experienced, he'll be a very powerful battler."

"Yeah," Bianca agreed.

"And what about her?" Gary asked, looking to Latias.

Latias shook her head. _"I don't like battles."_

"She says she doesn't like battles," Ash repeated, since Gary couldn't hear her telepathy yet.

Gary frowned. "Okay."

A door opened and the same Chansey from before walked to Ash, holding a tray with his Pokeballs. "Here are your Pokémon, they are all fine," the Chansey announced.

Ash nodded and took his Pokeballs. "Thanks."

The Chansey smiled. "You're welcome." She turned around and walked back to the backrooms.

With that the group chatted while they waited for Latios to be treated. About an hour passed and still Latios had not been yet released. Every minute that passed was torture for Latias and Ash. After about another hour of waiting, finally the syringe icon over the intensive treatment door turned off, the low sound it made enough to attract everyone's attention. Soon the door opened and Nurse Joy stepped out. Latias wanted so badly to be the first to ask her how Latios was, but she couldn't because of her telepathic limitation. She was now even more determined to become a stronger psychic to be able to freely talk to everyone. Ash was there almost as fast as she was. "So how's Latios?"

Nurse Joy smiled. "He's fine. He took some serious blows during the match, but it's nothing I couldn't patch up. After a good rest, he should be all right."

Ash sighed in relieve, like pretty much everyone else. "Thank you so much!"

"But," Nurse Joy continued. "He took a rather large amount of damage to his chest area, probably from the last Giga Impact. I'd recommend no excessive movements or exercise on his part for three to four days to let everything heal nicely and let him rest completely. All the poisoning he took was also removed, but he'll have to rest too for all the aftereffects to pass," Nurse Joy finished.

Ash frowned and turned to Brock. "When's my next battle?"

Brock checked his guidebook. "The semi-finals are in three days."

"How would Latios be by then?" Ash asked Nurse Joy.

"In three days?" Nurse Joy asked. "Well, I'd say he'd be almost fully healed, but his chest area might still be a bit delicate. He could fight by then, but it'll be at your own risk. If he takes another hard blow, it could turn into a very serious problem for him. The best thing to do would be for you to let him recover completely."

Ash frowned. "Alright, thanks. May we see him?"

She smiled. "Sure, but don't enter for now. He needs rest. You can stay here until night to keep watch over him if you want. By then you can see him because all the effects of the antidotes and treatments should have passed. Latios is in the third room to the left." With that she turned and walked to another room, probably to tend to other Pokémon.

The group walked inside. The door led to a long hallway with multiple doors. Beside each door was a window panel and bench. The group walked to the third one and looked inside the window. It was a medium-sized room with a bed in the center. Latios was lying peacefully on it. He had bandages going all around his mid-section, a few others were on his arms and neck, and he had a few patches here and there. A few cables went from a band in Latios' arm to a small screen that displayed his vitals. Professors Elm and Oak explained that from what they could see, Latios was mostly alright.

"So, three to four days…" Brock began. "Ash, are you going to use him in the semi-finals?"

Ash immediately shook his head. "No, I won't risk his health just for a trophy. He means a lot more to me than any title ever could. Besides, this won't be the last league I'll fight in, so I have a few more tries left."

No one was really surprised by that statement. That was Ash alright, placing his friends before everything. Latias smiled and nuzzled him. _"Thanks."_

Ash smiled and rubbed her head tenderly, causing her to release a low squeal of contentment. "You're welcome."

"At least he'll recover completely," Brock noted.

"That's the idea," Ash replied. "Besides, I'm sure that my team can fare well without him."

"Great, now I get all the work," Pikachu grumbled. Ash chuckled.

Delia smiled. "Now that we know he'll be fine, why don't we go get something to eat?"

"_I want to stay,"_ Latias replied firmly.

"Me too," Ash said as well, wanting to stay beside his Pokémon.

Delia sighed. "Alright, we'll bring dinner."

They nodded. After sharing their good-byes, the rest left to eat. Pikachu, Ash and Latias stayed behind, wanting to keep an eye on Latios. Ash took seat on the bench with Pikachu while Latias decided to simply hover there.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the female Eon Pokémon decided to start up a conversation. Latias looked at Ash and smiled softly. "Thanks for letting my brother rest."

"It's okay," Ash replied. "He deserves it anyway."

"Too bad he was beaten up so much," Latias commented sadly, a frown coming to her features.

"Hey Latias, exactly why is it that you dislike battling?" Ash asked.

"Is it because you're afraid to end up like Latios?" Pikachu asked.

Latias shook her head. "No, it's not like that, it's the other way around."

Ash looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Latias took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "Well, the reason I hate battling is because I dislike hurting others, even if it's a controlled competition. Sometimes my soft and calm demeanor fools others, but remember Ash, like my brother, I too am a Legendary Pokémon, and if I take things seriously, I could become just as strong as him." She paused. "I don't want to battle because I don't want to be the reason another Pokémon ends up like my brother. I don't want to send an injured Pokémon to the Pokémon Center."

"Ah, so that's why," Pikachu muttered.

"Of course, I do train from time to time because I know I need to at least be able to defend myself, just in case," Latias added. "I know that you wanted to someday capture me and have me a battler, along with my brother… Sorry if this upsets you…"

Ash chuckled. "Nah, it's alright Latias. If you don't want to battle, I understand," he assured her, putting a hand on her head and petting her gently. She giggled.

"But if you ever have a very tough battle ahead, I'll help you if you want me to," Latias told him, nuzzling his hand.

"If _Latios_ lets you," Pikachu deadpanned. They shared a small laugh at that.

"Nah, I'm fine like this. Besides, having both you and Latios on my team at the same time would make everything too easy, and I like challenges," Ash said, looking at her.

"Through she'll be very useful in the next Pokémon League you enter, because next time, _everyone _will know you have Latios so they'll have counters ready, but oh, what a surprise, you have Latias too!" Pikachu commented.

"Speaking about Pokémon Leagues, I'll have to deal with the Semi-Finals without Latios," Ash commented sadly.

"At least there are no more Hoenn trainers…" Pikachu remarked dryly. "Don't worry, you have me and Charizard!"

"Even so, I'm still going to win!" Ash said enthusiastically.

Latias giggled. "I'm sure you'll win," _'Just maybe… I hope you can...'_

* * *

And Chapter 19 has ended! Hope you all liked it! I'm very sorry for the delay, the past days have been rather hard for me, but everything should soon be back to normal.

So, how was the battle outcome? Did you all like the Shedinja vs. Latios and the Salamence vs. Latios? And Next, Ready to take on the Semi-Finals of the Silver Conference!

And Please, Leave lots of **Reviews! =D ***Happy Dance*


	20. In The Eve Of Battle

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

And Chapter 20 has been reached! Yay! Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Everything was calm and quiet in a small room in the Pokémon Center. It was early morning, and the four inhabitants of the room were sound asleep. Latios was resting in a bed, still bandaged from his previous battle. Ash was sleeping in a chair, leaning to the side so his upper body was resting on a small unused corner of the bed. Pikachu was curled up beside him. Latias was sleeping on the floor, her head resting on a pillow.

The past day, Latias and Ash had stayed all afternoon outside the room, refusing to go to the hotel to sleep, saying that they would join their friends later, preferring to stay with Latios. By night, Nurse Joy had said that they could enter the room. She also told them that they should be careful and try not to disturb Latios' rest. After a while, they fell asleep as well.

Now morning had arrived, and having been the one that slept the most, Latios was the one to wake up first. He opened his eyes, looking at the odd room he seemed to be in. He tried to move but a small pain in his chest interrupted him. He paused as memories of the previous day filled him. _'Must be in the Pokémon Center then,' _he thought. He paused as he thought of the most important thing in the world to him. _'Where's Latias! She must be worried sick!'_ Since he knew that moving wasn't a good idea at the moment, he amplified his mental senses in search of his sister. He relaxed when he sensed Latias was asleep on the floor. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly at his own overreaction. He sensed Ash and Pikachu sleeping nearby too.

He turned his neck and looked at the sleeping boy with a smile. It wasn't a surprise for him that Ash had chosen to stay by his side. He frowned when he caught a glimpse of all the bandages he had. He saw Latias stirring as she too woke up, they both had the habit of waking up early.

The first thing Latias did was turn her bright amber eyes to Latios. She grinned happily when she saw that he was looking back at her, a soft smile on his features. She resisted the urge to glomp him like she usually did because she knew he might still be a bit delicate and she didn't want to hurt him, so she gently floated over to him and leaned her body against his, hugging him around the neck and nuzzling him softly. "You finally woke up. How are you feeling, brother?" Latias asked, clearly concerned.

Latios smiled. "A bit sore, but nothing I can't handle."

Latias nodded and gave Latios a gentle kiss in the cheek before hovering back. "That was your get well soon kiss," she commented jokingly, giggling.

Latios smiled warmly. "I think I already feel a lot better."

"Awww…" Pikachu and Ash chorused at the same time, looking at the scene with interest. "You two should keep it down a little, you woke us up," Pikachu said.

Latias giggled. "Sorry."

Pikachu smiled. "No problem."

Ash gently patted Latios on the head. "So, how are you feeling Latios?"

"I already answered that to Latias," Latios told him.

"I didn't hear it, I was waking up," Ash replied Mareepishly.

Latios chuckled and repeated his answer. "A bit sore, but…I should get better soon, I hope."

"Nurse Joy said that you should be better in three to four days," Latias informed him.

Latios nodded. "Alright." He frowned. "Will I be okay soon enough for Ash's next battle?"

Ash shook his head. "Even if you were ready, you aren't battling like this. You're resting until you've recovered completely."

Latios cocked his head to the side. "So, I will be ready but you don't want me to risk myself?"

Ash nodded. "Nurse Joy said that you would be healed in three to four days yesterday, and the next battle is in two days. You _might _be ready, but the thing is, since you might still be a bit delicate, if you take a hard blow, she said it could give you severe health problems later on, so I'm not risking anything. You won't fight in the semi-finals."

Latios frowned. "But what if you lose because of my absence? I don't mind fighting for you Ash."

Ash smiled. "I don't care, you're more important to me than any trophy or title could ever be."

Latios nodded, touched by Ash's concern for him. "All right."

"Besides, I have Charizard left!" Ash commented, sounding sure of himself.

Pikachu chuckled. "Yeah, he'll make sure you win."

Ash smiled. "Anyway Latios, thank you so much for winning that battle for me, I'm very proud of you." Ash gave Latios a small hug around the neck, being careful to avoid the bandages. "That's enough help for now, my team will do the rest."

Latios sighed. "Sorry for being unable to help you…"

Ash smiled and petted the eon Pokémon reassuringly. "It's okay Latios, you did your best and that's what counts."

Latios smiled and nodded. "Alright."

"So," Pikachu began. "How did your first beating feel?"

"Horrible…" Latios mumbled.

Pikachu laughed. "The first time you get the crap beaten out of you is always the hardest. Mine was against a flock of Spearows…"

"I can imagine," Latios muttered unhappily. "Look at me now, I hope my feathers weren't ruined." Everyone sweatdropped.

"So, can you get up?" Pikachu asked.

"Let me try," Latios said as he activated his levitation power. He started to hover off the bed slowly until he floated a few inches into the air. "Yes, I can levitate without much effort."

Latios hovered off the bed and steadied at his usual height, enjoying floating once again, he would have stretched a little, but he knew it would hurt, so he restrained from doing so. Ash smiled. "Nice to see you can at least fly."

"So, when can I leave?" Latios asked.

"I don't know," Ash answered.

At that moment Nurse Joy entered with a Blissey. "Ah, Hello, glad to see you're all up," she said sweetly. She turned to Latios. "And glad to see that you're up, too."

"Hi," Ash greeted. "So, when can Latios leave the Pokémon Center?"

"I'll have to do a small checkup to see how his healing has progressed over the night," Nurse Joy replied. "Could you please leave us alone so I can examine him and change his bandages?"

Ash nodded. "Alright. Come on, let's go Latias, Pikachu." Pikachu jumped off the bed and ran out the room. Ash followed him.

Latias shared a small look at Latios. He nodded at her. She grinned and followed Ash. "So, think my brother will be out today?" Latias asked as the door closed behind her.

"I hope so," Ash answered. "He's already rested for a while so he should be better." He smiled reassuringly at her.

Latias grinned. "Yeah, I know he'll be fine today!" she said brightly. Ash smiled at her again. He was glad that the gloomy look Latias had yesterday about Latios' condition was gone. The fact that Latios was up definitely cheered her up.

"I wonder who I'll use in the semifinals?" Ash wondered.

"Brock will help you there," Latias reassured him.

"I think I'll give some of my other Pokémon a rest too, they must be tired after the battles against Harrison and Gary," Ash commented. "Well, except Charizard."

Latias laughed. "Need a powerhouse to make sure you have a chance?"

"Yes, that, and if I leave him out of the semifinals, he'd be so pissed at me he might try to fry me," Ash commented nervously.

Pikachu and Latias laughed. "Yep," Pikachu began. "Sounds like something Charizard would do."

"Hello Ash!" Misty chorused. Ash turned and was surprised to see Bianca, Brock and Misty entering. "You're up this early! The world must be coming to an end," she joked.

"Very funny," Ash deadpanned. "Sorry I didn't get back to the hotel last night."

"We already knew you weren't going to arrive," Brock assured him. "We knew you'd stay here the whole night."

"Ah, all right then," Ash replied Mareepishly. "Sorry if I got you worried or something like that."

"We weren't," Brock assured him. "We knew Latias would make sure you didn't do something weird or get into trouble, and you have your other five Pokémon with you anyway." They laughed slightly.

Ash facefaulted. "Forget it…"

"So, how's Latios?" Bianca asked, fidgeting in anxiety.

"_He already woke up.__ Nurse Joy is giving him a morning check up, and changing his bandages,"_ Latias answered. _"After she finishes, she'll decide if Latios is in any condition to leave the Pokémon Center."_

"Oh, that's good to hear. At least he's up," Bianca commented, clearly relieved.

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

"That's good to hear, he seemed in pretty bad shape at the end of the battle," Brock added.

"So, who's my next opponent?" Ash asked. In his worry over Latios, he had forgotten about that.

"Well," Brock started. "Your next opponent is from Sento Cherry Town. His name is Jon Dickson. I checked his records, and he has no Pokémon foreign to Kanto or Johto, so he shouldn't have any surprises. He does have a powerful team, however."

"Well, I can still win this one," Ash commented. "I _have_ to win. If I win I'll make it to the grand final, and Latios will be ready to fight by then!"

"Yeah," Misty agreed. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks," Ash said, smiling at her.

A small beep was heard as the door opened. Nurse Joy stepped out, holding some papers with various records and charts on them. Latios was hovering behind her, with new and clean bandages on his body, a bit less than before. Nurse Joy looked through the papers. "Well, Latios is good enough to leave the Pokémon Center. Please, no excessive activity for at least one to two days," Nurse Joy announced. "Also, he's safe and clear to go inside a Pokeball."

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."

"Also," Nurse Joy said, giving Ash a small bottle of pills. "In case that Latios starts to feel too much pain, those should make him feel better, they're effective painkillers."

"Okay, thanks again," Ash said. He gave the bottle to Brock since he was the one that knew about medicine and such.

"Have a good day," Nurse Joy said as she turned around and walked off to continue her duties.

"Well, what now?" Ash asked.

"We could talk about your upcoming battle in the semifinals," Brock suggested. "And register your team."

Ash nodded enthusiastically. "Alright!" He turned to Latios and frowned. "Can those turn invisible?" Ash asked, pointing to the bandages.

Latios sweatdropped. "No, it's my feathers that make me able to turn invisible, so I can't make other objects invisible."

"Ah," Ash muttered. "Sorry Latios, into the Pokeball it is."

"Can bandages actually go inside a Pokeball?" Latios asked curiously.

"I've seen bows and ribbons go into Pokeballs, so why not bandages?" Ash said.

Latios shrugged. "Good point. Just don't keep me in there for too long, please."

Ash chuckled and grabbed Latios' Pokeball. "Don't worry, just the walk from here to the hotel. Latios, return." A red beam extended from the center of the Pokeball as Latios was returned inside. Latias glowed as a bright shower of blue lights covered her, turning her into her human form, looking completely identical to Bianca. "Well, let's go," Ash suggested.

Ash's friends nodded and together walked back to the hotel. It was completely uneventful, seeing as most of the streets were empty since the last two battles of the Quarter-finals were being fought and everyone was watching them. Once they got back to the room and everyone got comfortable, Ash grabbed a Pokeball and pointed it at the center of the room. "Latios, come out," Ash said. In a bright flash of white light, Latios was released.

"Okay, Ash," Brock said from the PC. "Jon Dickson has a very powerful and well balanced team."

"And I don't have Latios…" Ash muttered. Latios sulked in the back. Latias went to comfort him. "Brock, I'd like to give the other members of my team a rest too. After all, they fought very hard against Gary and Harrison, so they might enjoy the rest. Besides, that way I can give the others a chance to battle, and if I use an alternate team, that'll surprise my opponent."

"I guess that's a good idea," Misty said.

Brock nodded. "Good idea Ash, it'll confuse your opponent…also, you'll fight with fresh Pokémon since your team is carrying the toll of both battles against Gary and Harrison. I'll think of a team that's good enough to fight that Jon Dickson guy."

"After today, only four trainers will be left," Bianca noted. "Congratulations on making it so far Ash!"

"Thanks! And I'll make it to the finals so Latios can battle again!" Ash said cheerfully.

Brock examined Jon Dickson's profile. "Jon Dickson's current team is: Ampharos, Tyranitar, Feraligatr, Togetic, Rapidash and Steelix."

"Wow, sounds tough," Misty commented.

Ash's eyes widened. "N-Not a Tyranitar…" He paused, regaining his composure. "Wait, a Togetic? What's that?"

Brock clicked on the image and expanded it to cover the screen. "It's the evolution of Togepi."

"Wow," Ash commented. He looked at Togepi, who was cradled in Misty's arms. She looked at him and chirped happily. "Can't be too tough…" Ash muttered.

"_Guess you'll find out o__n the battlefield," _Latias commented.

"Well," Brock began. "How about we register Phanpy, Larvitar, Charizard, Noctowl, Tauros and Totodile? Phanpy and Larvitar have an advantage against most of Jon's team, except for Feraligatr. Tauros has raw power, Noctowl is a smart fighter, and Totodile is good to keep some of them in check, like that Tyranitar. Charizard will be your main powerhouse for the battle."

Ash nodded. "Sounds good."

"Hey! Where am I in that team!" Pikachu bellowed angrily.

Ash sweatdropped. "A rest would be good for you too Pikachu, and besides, you only have an advantage against two of them, but I doubt that guy will send them to fight you," he explained, trying to calm the Electric-type down.

Pikachu huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine then. But why does Charizard get to battle again?"

Ash chuckled nervously. "Charizard flew all the way here. He might be mad at me if I don't include him in this important battle…and he'll fry me if I exclude him…"

Pikachu laughed. "Good point."

"Anyway," Ash started as he turned to Brock. "That team is fine, go ahead and register it."

Brock nodded. "Alright, registering the team for the battle now." He typed in a few things and within a minute, he was done.

"So, what should we do for these next two days?" Ash asked curiously.

"We could give your alternative team a warm-up," Brock suggested. "After we go the Pokémon Center to swap them."

"But we just came from there!" Misty complained. "Why didn't we just use the PC there to look up Dickson's team rather than coming all the way back here only to leave again?"

There was a long, awkward pause. "Uh…" Brock said.

"Out we go again!" Ash said loudly. "And Latios, sorry."

Latios sighed. "Back into a pokeball…"

"Yep. Latios, return," Ash called sucking the Eon Pokémon back inside his Pokeball. With that, the group returned once more to the Pokémon Center. Again the walk was uneventful, and they could hear the roaring crowd and explosions and the MC's commentary all the way, so they assumed the first of the two battles was at its climax.

After calling Tracey at the lab and exchanging Ash's team (Thankfully during Pokémon League competitions he could keep around more than six Pokémon at a time as long as they didn't interfere. This was usually allowed for training and planning purposes, through Ash didn't have the need until now, as he needed to have Latios and Pikachu as well as the team that was going to fight Dickson with him at the same time). Once Ash was done, they exited the Pokémon Center. "So, it's still an early day, let's go to the usual training place."

"Sure," Brock agreed. "Your current team could use a warm-up before the battle to come."

"Okay! Let's go!" Ash said happily, eager to see his other Pokémon again, especially Larvitar and Phanpy. After a few minutes of walking into the forest, they reached the training clearing.

"Here again," Misty mused, looking at the clearing.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. He grabbed his Pokeballs. "Come on out!" he shouted. With a bright flash of light, all six of his chosen Pokémon were released, plus Latios.

Larvitar looked around and the second he noticed Ash, he gave a big smile and ran at him, glomping him happily and knocking him over. Latias reacted quickly and psychically reduced most of Larvitar's weight so when they landed, Larvitar didn't crush Ash. "Daddy!" Larvitar chirped happily. Ash and Latias' jaw dropped at what Larvitar had called Ash. Latias then smiled happily, her innate ability to sense the emotions of others telling her that Larvitar was a bit more sociable now. His time without Ash had made him more confident and less dependent on Ash's presence. Though he still had a lot of resentment left because of his mother's separation from him, he now learned that he shouldn't be all gloomy over that forever.

Ash smiled happily and hugged Larvitar back. "Aww, what did you call me?" Ash asked, touched by the display of affection.

Larvitar chuckled nervously. "Well, ever since Phanpy got that idea into my head, it hasn't left me, and every day that passed that I didn't call you that I felt more uncomfortable, so I decided that I was now going to refer to you as my daddy. Hope you don't mind…"

Ash smiled. "No, its fine with me, I like the idea…guess I have another surrogate son." Bianca, Brock and Misty 'awwwwed', Latios had been translating Larvitar's words to them as they couldn't understand his Poke-Speech.

Ash stood up, still hugging Larvitar. The small Rock and Ground-Type fidgeted slightly as he turned to look at Latias and smiled. "Hi Aunt Latias!" he turned to Latios. "Hi Uncle Latios!"

Latias smiled and floated over to him. "Hi cutie." She gently took him from Ash's arms, accommodating him in her claws and giving him a hug. Larvitar squealed happily. Ash took the chance to go and talk to the rest of his Pokémon. Phanpy did the same thing Larvitar did, through he was a bit gentler with his affectionate tackle-hug.

"Thanks for helping Larvitar out so much!" Ash thanked the small blue Pokémon.

Phanpy squealed happily. "You're welcome daddy!"

Ash turned to the rest. "Hello!" All of his Pokémon returned the greeting. Latias set Larvitar in the floor and he walked back to the main group. "Well," Ash began. "You six are my chosen battlers for the next match…"

Charizard looked around in surprise. "He isn't fighting?" he asked, looking at Latios. He then noticed his bandaged chest. "Ahhhh, he got beaten up, didn't he?"

"Yep," Pikachu confirmed. "He took his first beating as a battler, so, he's still recovering. Remember that the first beating is always the toughest to get over."

Charizard chuckled. "Reminds me of your first beating…fond memories…though I wasn't there."

Pikachu rolled his eyes. "And it reminds me of your first beating as a Charizard…may I remind you that you decided to listen to Ash after that?"

Charizard grimaced. "Don't mention that!"

"Anyway," Ash interrupted. "Next up is the semi-finals, so together we're going to win! Right?"

Ash's Pokémon gave a triumphant cry. Charizard smirked proudly. "With me on your side, you've got it in the bag!"

"You were defeated in the previous two battles," Pikachu pointed out.

"I went easy on them. I knew Latios was in reserve, I just _had_ to let him battle and not do all the work myself…" Charizard responded. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Well, for know, what do you suggest Brock?" Ash asked.

"Well, since we don't have time to learn new moves, we should do exercises to improve speed, power, and to warm everyone up and get them in shape for the battle," Brock suggested.

Ash nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

Latias sighed. _"If it's not that much of a bother, can I go to a more peaceful place? I don't really want to hear about battles or training now,"_ she asked kindly.

Ash shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. I see no problem with it if you want to take your mind off battles for a while."

"_I'm going to the lake,"_ Latias announced. She began to fly in the direction in the lake. Everyone knew that Latios would follow her, so they weren't surprised when he sped after her.

Latias and Latios weren't really needed, so everyone started to train normally. Bianca sighed. She noted that she couldn't help, looked at her sketch book, and walked after Latias and Latios.

* * *

Latias smiled contentedly as she arrived to the peaceful shore of the lake. She sensed that there were no humans nearby so there was no need to hide herself. "Hi sis," Latios greeted as he came over. "Why the run-away?"

"I just didn't want to hear about battling Pokémon for now," Latias answered.

"I'm fine already, you know," Latios told her in a gentle voice.

Latias smiled. "I know." She gave Latios a hug, minding the bandages.

In the nearby bushes Bianca smiled happily at the scene. _'This is gold!'_ she thought as she took out her sketch book and began to draw. Though she was hiding from them behind some bushes, not wanting to disturb them, Latias and Latios knew she was there, they could sense her mind approaching a long way back. They silently decided to pretend they hadn't noticed her.

Latios sighed as he parted from the hug. "I feel bad for not being able to help Ash…"

Latias smiled. She knew that had been bothering Latios for a while. "Its okay brother, you helped him enough by winning the battle against Harrison, so don't look down on your efforts."

Latios smiled at her, thankful at her support. "Thanks sis."

"Besides, Ash will be fine! So don't worry," Latias continued.

Latios nodded. "I hope so."

Latias giggled. "Next time, try not to get all messed up like you were last battle."

Latios laughed. "I'll try, it wasn't my fault that Hoenn Guy was so well-prepared."

Latias smiled nostalgically. "Traveling is very fun," she noted. "Why didn't we do it sooner?"

"Well," Latios began. "I think it was because we never had a chance to do so, or it never crossed our minds. But when Ash came into our lives, he gave us the perfect chance to travel outside of Altomare safely."

Latias laughed. "I guess so." Latias fidgeted nervously. "Eh, brother?"

"Yes sis?" Latios answered, wondering what was crossing Latias' mind. He could simply read her thoughts to find out, but again, where was the fun in that?

"When I asked you if we could travel, you said yes, but you never specified how much time we were going to travel, and Ash's current League is coming to its end, so…for how much longer are we going to travel with Ash?" Latias asked.

Latios smiled at her. "For as long as you want to sis. I'm fine with it, so long as we keep our duty and return to Altomare in times of need. With that small exception, we can travel for all the time you want."

Latias grinned happily. "Thanks brother, you're the best."

"You're welcome sis," Latios replied.

As the day passed, both eon dragons talked and enjoyed the time they had together. Soon they would return to Ash's group to help him prepare for the Silver Conference semi-finals, which were just around the corner…

* * *

And chapter 20 is over! A short yet peaceful chapter, and brace yourselves because next Chapter is the Ash Vs. Jon Dickson! (And please don't comment to me for the last name XD, Its taken straight out of the anime lol)

Also, a very dear friend of mine is writing a nice fanfic I'd like to share with you all, its Called Pokémon Black: Enter Chaos, check it out! It's nice =D You can look for it in my favorites list. The author is called "Lady Venamisa." She too is on my Favorite authors list, so, you can find her there =D

Enjoy it! Please, take a look at it, you won't be disappointed. (Soon she'll start another story which has an interesting story line and she will co-write it with yet another dear friend of mine. I'll also share it with you when Chapter 1 is out!)

AND. I started a Very interesting **Poll**, it's on my profile. Please go and vote for up to **five **choices. The question is: In Pokémon, which shipping that includes Ash do you like the most?

Anyway, 20 chapters! I'm glad to have been writing for you all for all this time! Please… Leave a **REVIEW!**


	21. Intense Full Battle: SemiFinals!

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: And here's chapter 21! Yay! This is, officially, my longest chapter EVER! So enjoy it! =D Also, I am very sorry for the delay. I was pretty busy for most part of the month of Octuber, so I started writing this during late October.

* * *

Two days had passed rather quickly for our group of heroes, and today was the day of Ash's battle in the semi-finals.

The two days had been rather normal. The group trained lightly so that Ash's team was in proper form for the battle to come, and Latios' recovery was coming along great, though he needed pills at night so that he could sleep peacefully. They had taken him to the Pokémon Center the previous day for a quick check-up, and Nurse Joy had said that he was recovering nicely and that he didn't need the bandages anymore.

Morning came soon for our eager hero, though as usual he wouldn't wake up without some help. Latias, Latios and Pikachu stared at his sleeping form. "He isn't waking up any time soon, is he?" Latios wondered curiously.

"Nope," Pikachu replied, shaking his head. "I'll wake him up," he announced, his cheeks sparkling as a grin formed on his face.

"Pikachu!" Latias scolded. "Don't hurt him! I have a better way of waking him up. Her eyes glowed slightly as she gently interrupted his sleep with a light thought. Ash yawned and started to wake up.

"Aww," Pikachu whined. "I like to wake him up with thunderbolts…"

"But my method is much better," Latias countered. "And less harmful."

"Whatever…" Pikachu muttered. Latias giggled happily.

Ash rose from his bed and yawned. "I wish I could wake up like this every morning. I feel great!"

Pikachu sulked as Latias snickered. "Told you so."

"So, what time is it?" Ash asked curiously.

"Eight in the morning," Latias answered.

"Why so early… I want to sleep more," Ash whined, throwing himself under the covers and stuffing the pillow over his head.

Pikachu laughed. "What was that about your method being better?"

Latias sweatdropped. "I said it'll wake him up, I never said he'd _stay_ that way."

Pikachu snickered. "Then I guess I'll have to do that," he said a little too eagerly, cheeks beginning to spark.

"Again, we have a better method," Latios interrupted, causing Pikachu to sigh. "Tell me what you think." Latios eyes glowed as he telekinetically lifted the bed and flipped it over, causing Ash to fall to the floor with a yelp.

Pikachu nodded. "That's a good one…" All three Pokémon laughed.

Misty cracked the door open slightly and peeked in. "Is everything all right? I heard someone fa-" She sweatdropped when she looked at the room. The bed was floating upside-down with Ash on the floor, Latias, Latios and Pikachu were laughing, and Latios' eyes were glowing. She sighed. "And all I asked was for them to wake him up…" she muttered before closing the door again and going back to the living room. The three Pokémon sweatdropped as Ash struggled to stand up. Latios set the bed back in its rightful place, thankfully not on top of Ash.

"Next time, I'm buying an alarm clock…" Ash muttered dizzily, finally accepting that his Pokémon would probably kill him one day with their 'wake Ash methods'.

"You've smashed all the alarm clocks you had wanting to sleep a bit more. Brock got tired of buying replacements," Pikachu pointed out.

"Damn," Ash muttered. He stood up from the bed lazily.

"Brock is making breakfast!" Latias chimed.

Ash smiled happily. "Really!" Latias nodded. Ash immediately forgot he had just woken up and ran out of the room to take a seat in the living room.

"That's how to cheer Ash up alright," Latias giggled. Latios and Pikachu nodded in agreement. They exited the room.

Ash had been forced to wake up early as he had to be ready for his upcoming match, and to have a nice breakfast courtesy of Brock. Bianca and Misty were seating at the table already.

"Morning, sleepy head," Misty greeted him. Bianca did the same.

Brock came out of the kitchen holding two plates of food. "Good morning Ash," he greeted as he set the plates on table.

"Good morning to you as well Brock, Misty and Bianca," Ash greeted with a smile. "You too Latias, Latios and Pikachu," he continued, sensing that the last three were coming out of his room just at that moment. Brock came out with the last two plates of food and set them on the table, and, after serving all the Pokémon their own breakfast, he took a seat to enjoy the most important meal of the day.

"So Ash, nervous?" Bianca asked curiously as she got ready to eat.

Ash was already eating, so he answered with his mouth full, much to everyone else's disgust. "Nope, why should I be?"

"Because the Pokémon that was the key factor for your victories against Gary and Harrison is out of the picture," Misty deadpanned.

"Even so, I can still win!" Ash replied confidently before he resumed eating.

"_Yeah, he'__s right,"_ Latias telepathed. _"He can still win. I'm sure that his current team will do everything to make sure he prevails. Right, guys?"_

All the Pokémon nodded. "Yup!" Phanpy said cheerfully. "We'll help daddy win!"

"Through I'd love to also help in the battle…" Pikachu muttered. He turned to Ash. "Is there a way I can fight, please?" Larvitar took advantage of Pikachu's distraction and took a bite out of Pikachu's plate. Latias stifled a giggle, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry Pikachu, but everyone is already eager for a battle. Besides, a rest will do you some good," Ash replied.

"That and Ash's next opponent probably expects you, so he'll get a surprise when Ash doesn't use you," Charizard noted before he resumed eating. Thankfully their living room was big enough to fit them all comfortably.

"Remember Ash, don't get nervous, and remember that you have mostly small Pokémon in your team. Use that to your advantage," Brock suggested.

"And," Misty continued. "Jon has mostly bulky or large Pokémon, so your smaller Pokémon should be nimble enough to get away from their moves and attack safely."

"Also, use Charizard to deal with any troublesome Pokémon Jon sends," Brock suggested.

"_I'd also suggest that you don't limit yourself to using Cha__rizard as your last Pokémon Ash. Maybe you can sneak in a surprise or two,"_ Latias suggested.

"_And I suggest you not mess it up,"_ Latios said, looking at Charizard. Charizard glared at him.

Pikachu laughed. "What he means is be careful, you don't want to receive a beating like the one he took before." Latios blushed in embarrassment. All the Pokémon laughed, and the humans joined them when Latias telepathed them what Pikachu said.

Larvitar took advantage of the distraction and spirited away another bite from Pikachu's plate. "Damn Shedinja…" Latios muttered irritably.

"The next move you learn has to be one that breaks Wonder Guard… just in case," Brock announced. "I'll check later what you need to learn."

"_Alright,"_ Latios telepathed.

After a few more minutes of chatting, the group finished eating, and Pikachu was again puzzled about the fact that some of his food had disappeared. They spent the next hour or so talking with Ash about things he could do to win. Soon enough, the first semi-final battle approached.

After checking that everything was ready and everyone returned their Pokémon back to their Pokeballs, the group left the hotel. As usual, Latios exited through the balcony. He enjoyed the removal of his bandages since it meant he could turn invisible and fly freely without having to go into the Pokeball.

As the group walked to the stadium, they noticed many people were heading in the same direction. Today, the two semi-final battles would be fought, and everyone wanted to see them. Some people spared Ash a few glances, recognizing him instantly. Though most of them guessed that he was focused on his battle and didn't interrupt him, not all of them thought like that.

Macey smiled as she walked to the stadium. Usually, most trainers left the city out of spite after their elimination, but she had a reason to stay. She still had yet to ask Ash out on a date. The only days she could find him were the days he fought, and the time in-between battles he was always nowhere to be seen. She had heard he went to the forest to train or something like that… And when she tried to get near him, the red head or the silent girl always ruined her plans, but today that would change! (Or so she thought)

Macey calmly rounded the corner of a building, inspecting the crowds walking toward Silver Stadium. She grinned when she spotted Ash and his friends. She ran forward eagerly, ready to ask him out on a date again… and a bucket of water fell on her. The guy that was cleaning the windows of the building looked down in embarrassment, wondering how the hell the bucket had moved on its own and fallen on that girl.

'_Yes! Direct hit!'_ Latias thought proudly, doing a happy dance. Thankfully, she was invisible and no one noticed except her brother. Latios stared at her in clear confusion. He felt she exerted some psychic powers. He didn't have time to pinpoint the target, so he decided to ask what had happened later.

After a few minutes of walking, they neared the Stadium. Ash turned and walked to the entrance to the battlefield. To his surprise, he found a young teen, at least sixteen or so, walking to the entrance as well. He had a blue long-sleeve button-down shirt and messy light-brown hair. He paused when he noticed Ash walking toward him. He smiled. "Hello, I'm Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town, your next opponent. Pleased to meet you."

Ash smiled back and returned the greeting. "Hi! I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

"I'm impressed for such a young kid to come this far, congratulations Ash," Jon said, clearly impressed. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Thanks!" Ash said proudly.

"But I won't go easy on you. Let's fight an amazing battle, and let the best trainer win!" Jon announced, holding out his hand.

Ash smiled. "I wouldn't want it other way," he said as he shook hands with his opponent. Jon parted and walked to the guard, showing his Pokedex ID. The guard let him pass. Ash did the same, and soon both Ash and Jon entered the battlefield. The crowd cheered loudly.

"Both trainers have entered the battlefield!" the MC announced. "Everything is set for the start of the first semi-final battle!" The crowd cheered even more. "The two trainers today are impressive individuals: Jon Dickson, who has steadily dominated his battles all the way here, and Ash Ketchum, a young but strong trainer that has a Legendary Pokémon in his possession! Also, with his presence in the semifinals, Ash Ketchum has broken the record for the youngest trainer ever to reach the semifinals at eleven years old!"

"I'm so proud!" Delia squealed in the stands, startling professors Oak and Elm. They smiled at her, understanding why she was happy. Her son was at the top four of the Silver Conference, an impressive feat.

"Well Delia, I'm sure all of Pallet Town is proud. It's been a while since someone from Pallet Town competed in the last rounds of a league," Professor Oak remarked.

"Though without Latios' participation, Ash's fate in this battle doesn't look good," Professor Elm commented gloomily.

"Latios isn't Ash's entire team you know," Gary commented to Professor Elm. "Sure, he's a Legendary, but he's just one in a team of six."

"That is true," Professor Oak agreed. "And if there is one thing Ash has done superbly, it's raising his team."

"All we can do now is sit here and watch the battle play out," Delia said, looking as Ash took the red side of the battlefield, Jon took the green side.

"Besides, Ashy-boy is strong! I know that first hand," Gary commented, trying to cheer them up. "He can beat this guy!"

"Yeah!" Delia squealed, taking out her camera.

"And now, the field will be chosen!" the MC narrated. "And I wonder why we bother to change the field considering both times Ash has battled, it was completely destroyed…" Ash and Latios chuckled nervously and Latias giggled. The huge screen lit up as a segmented wheel appeared. The light started flashing through the segments, stopping on the grass drawing. "The battle will be fought on the Grass Battlefield!" the MC announced.

The field shook as the normal battlefield sunk in the ground, splitting halfway as another field replaced it. The new was lifted until it was ground level with the rest of the stadium floor. The Grass field was basically covered in a layer of grass at least one or two feet tall. Several bushes were planted here and there on the field, and there were several spots were the grass was barely a few inches tall. "And now, which trainer shall make the first move!" the MC wondered.

On the screen, another segmented wheel appeared. A light flashed around it, stopping on a green segment, meaning that the first move was Jon's. "And first move goes to Jon Dickson!"

The Referee checked to see that everything was in place. "This will be a six on six Pokémon battle with substitutions allowed on both sides! The winner will be decided when all six Pokémon from one side as unable to continue battling!" he announced. "A short five-minute rest will be taken when three Pokémon of a side are unable to continue battling!"

Jon grabbed his first Pokeball. "Let's start strong. Go, Rapidash!" he shouted as he threw the Pokeball to the field. A large horse Pokémon appeared, sporting a fiery mane, tail, and hooves. Rapidash's icon appeared on the screen in the first slot of Jon's party.

"And Jon has started with Rapidash!" the MC announced unnecessarily.

Ash hummed in thought. He smirked as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Go, Totodile!" Ash shouted as the small blue Pokémon was released on the field and did a happy dance.

"And a dancing Totodile is Ash's first choice!" the MC narrated as Totodile's icon appeared on the screen, placing itself in the first slot of Ash's team.

"The semifinals match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town will now BEGIN!" the Referee bellowed.

"And the battle begins!" the MC cried.

"Rapidash, use Ember!" Jon shouted, ordering the first attack. Rapidash took a deep breath and spat a barrage of fireballs in rapid succession at the Water-Type.

"Totodile, dodge!" Ash ordered. Totodile began to dance, each step of his usual dance allowing him to dodge the Ember attack.

"Rapidash, Flame Wheel!" Jon shouted.

"And that folks, is a creative way to dodge!" the MC remarked. Delia thought it was very cute and took lots of pictures.

However, what Totodile didn't expect was that before he even finished dodging the Ember attack, Rapidash was already charging at him, covered in a veil of fire. "Totodile, use Water Gun on the floor!" Ash shouted. Totodile quickly aimed downwards and spat a stream of water at the ground, catapulting him into the sky as Rapidash passed bellow him a split second later. Totodile re-aimed his Water Gun, hitting the Fire Horse Pokémon in the back.

"Rapidash use Take Down!" Jon commanded. Rapidash quickly shook off the water stream and charged at the spot where Totodile would eventually fall down, which happened quickly as gravity began to take effect, forcing Totodile to descend.

"Totodile, quick, use Bite!" Ash shouted.

"_You'__re asking Totodile to bite a Pokémon covered in fire?"_ Latias asked incredulously.

Ash sweatdropped. "Er, Totodile, aim for a place with no fire! Aim for the Horn!"

As Rapidash closed in on the falling Pokémon, Totodile took aim, and with a mighty bite, he clamped down on Rapidash's horn, causing the Fire Horse Pokémon to shriek. "Ouch, what a painful bite!" the MC commented. Rapidash thrashed around, trying to knock off the small blue Pokémon, but it was to no avail. The harder Rapidash thrashed, the harder Totodile bit. Rapidash swore that its horn was about to come off!

"Rapidash, use Flame Wheel!" Jon shouted, seeing his Pokémon's distress. Rapidash stopped thrashing and concentrated, the flames that covered its body spreading and turning Rapidash into a fireball.

"Totodile, Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Totodile released the horn and spat a torrent of water inside the flaming prison, creating an explosion of steam that quickly covered that portion of the field. Totodile emerged from the steam, not looking very fazed. A panting Rapidash soon appeared as well as the steam cloud dissipated.

"What an interesting battle, worthy of the semifinals!" the MC commented. The crowed cheered.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded. Totodile nodded and spat a torrent of water at the Fire-Type.

"Rapidash, use Take Down!" Jon ordered. Rapidash quickly galloped forward and with a quick move to the side, dodged Totodile's water stream.

"Hide in a bush! Then use Water Gun," Ash shouted. Totodile nodded and jumped to the side, getting behind a bush. He ducked as Rapidash slammed against the bush, and it effectively protected Totodile. Just as Rapidash finished the pass and turned for another go, Totodile fired a stream of water at the Rapidash. It shrieked as the super-effective attack slammed against it.

"Rapidash, shake it off with a Flame Wheel, and then use Fire Blast!" Jon ordered frantically. Rapidash's body detonated in an orb of fire, completely evaporating the Water Gun. A five-pointed star of fire appeared, blazing its way towards the stunned Water-type.

"Wow! What a powerful attack!" the MC remarked.

"Totodile, counter it with Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Totodile nodded and spat a water stream as hard as he could. The attacks collided, a mass of steam bursting from Totodile's Water Gun as it was vaporized by the Fire Blast, though, the Water Gun succeeded in severely weakening the Fire Blast so that by the time it reached Totodile, it was barely a bunch of embers.

Taking advantage of the steam-covered field, Ash issued his next order. "Totodile, use Water Gun!" Totodile quickly spat a torrent of water, aiming it at the form of Rapidash in the cloud.

"Rapidash, use Take Down!" Jon ordered quickly. Rapidash quickly dodged to the side and with a powerful gallop, sprinted forward at blinding speeds toward Totodile.

"Totodile, dance!" Ash shouted. Jon gave him a confused look, as did Ash's friends.

"_What?"_ Latias and Latios questioned flatly. Ash chuckled nervously.

Totodile shrugged and did what he liked to do the most: he began to dance, jumping around as Rapidash closed in. "What is Ash planning?" the MC wondered.

Just as Rapidash was a few meters away from Totodile, the Water-Type made a quick spin in mid-dance. The completely unpredictable move was effective as Rapidash passed just beside Totodile. Ash smirked. "Totodile, use Water Gun!" he shouted. The Water-type nodded and spat a powerful torrent of water, catching the Fire Horse Pokémon mid-gallop. The force of the attack caused the Fire-type to stumble and fall to the ground. It tried to get up, but the continuous water attacks were too much, and it fainted.

"Rapidash is unable to continue battling!" the Referee shouted, raising the corresponding flag as the Rapidash's icon faded from the screen, leaving a black silhouette.

"Yes! Good job Totodile!" Ash praised. The Water-Type danced happily. Jon grabbed a Pokeball and returned the defeated fire-type.

"And Rapidash was defeated after an impressive combination courtesy of Ash's Totodile!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

"_Nice one,"_ Latias commented.

"Thanks," Ash thanked.

"_Who knew dancing woul__d be so effective for something?"_ Latios commented.

Jon hummed in thought as he contemplated his next possible choice. _'If I choose Ampharos, he'll switch out, so I'll bring out a little surprise!'_ He grabbed his next Pokeball. "Go, Steelix!" Jon shouted, tossing his Pokeball to the field. A huge iron snake divided into boulder-shaped segments, some which had huge spikes growing out of them, materialized. Steelix's icon appeared on the screen atop the stadium, on the second slot of Jon's side.

"Aw, great," Ash muttered, looking at the huge Pokémon before him, and Totodile wasn't doing any better. "I hate those."

"Talk about heavy artillery! Steelix is Jon's second Pokémon!" the MC announced.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Jon ordered. The huge steel-type roared as its tail shined a bright white, becoming harder than it already was. The massive tail was swung down at the Water-Type.

"Dodge and use Water Gun!" Ash ordered. Totodile quickly leaped to the side. Dodging the massive tail by mere millimeters, Totodile quickly turned and fired a stream of water at the Steel-type, hitting it in the head. The Steelix swung his tail to the side, hitting Totodile and stopping the water gun.

The sheer force of getting hit by a massive steel wall was too much for the already weakened Totodile. The Water-Type fainted as he landed with a thud. "Totodile is unable to continue battling!" the Referee shouted. Totodile's icon faded.

"_That was fast,"_ Latios muttered telepathically. Ash sweatdropped as he returned the defeated Water-type.

"And Totodile is done for the day!" the MC announced rather unnecessarily.

Ash hummed in thought. He had a good idea as to how to beat Steelix, or at least, good by Ash's standards. _"Can that work?"_ Latios asked, reading his mind.

"_You aren't gonna pit Phanpy against a Steelix, right?"_ Latias asked worried. _"Right!"_

"Phanpy, I choose you!" Ash shouted, tossing the Pokeball to the field. The small blue Pokémon materialized on the battlefield. Phanpy's icon appeared in the second slot of Ash's side.

"I'm all ready to fight, daddy!" Phanpy chorused, despite having a huge steel serpent in front of him. Latias sweatdropped.

"_This is gonna be good, wish I __had some popcorn,"_ Latios murmured. Latias laughed.

"And a Phanpy is Ash's next choice. How will such a small Pokémon deal with Steelix!" the MC wondered.

Jon smirked. "Despite having a Type advantage, such a small Pokémon should be no problem," he mused to himself.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Ash shouted. Phanpy nodded and took a forward leap, quickly tucking into a tight ball as he started rolling towards the Steelix.

Jon laughed. "Steelix, end this with an Iron Tail!" Jon shouted. Steelix's colossal tail shined a bright white as it swung it, hoping to defeat the small Ground-Type with a single attack.

"Phanpy, stop rolling and use Earthquake!" Ash shouted. Phanpy quickly stopped, the momentum flinging him forwards, and as he landed, he stomped on the ground, sending a powerful tremor across the field. The Steelix roared as the super-effective attack hit it.

Latias remembered this same strategy from the battle against Macey's Rapidash. _"Wow, can't believe it actually worked again," _she commented.

"Steelix is a rather large Pokémon, so it may have some problems dealing with a Pokémon as small and nimble as Phanpy," Ash noted.

"Be careful, Ash!" Misty called from the bench behind him. "One blow from Steelix can cause a lot of damage!"

Ash nodded. "I will!"

"Steelix, use Dragon Breath!" Jon shouted. Steelix reared back and spat a stream of green fire, aiming directly at the small ground-type.

"Dodge with Rollout!" Ash ordered. Phanpy quickly curled into a ball and rolled out of the way, escaping the flames with ease.

"Wow folks, using Rollout as a defensive attack was a brilliant strategy! Now Steelix can't hit Phanpy!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

Jon growled. "Steelix, use Crunch!" he shouted. The huge steel Pokémon lunged forward, jaws open wide.

"Keep rolling!" Ash ordered. Phanpy kept rolling, easily dodging the Crunch attack. The huge Steel-type slammed into the ground, causing a small tremor. "Phanpy, use Hidden Power!" Ash shouted. Phanpy stopped rolling and quickly aimed at the Steelix as his body glowed, forming several white orbs around him. He fired the orbs, hitting the Steel-type directly in the face, causing it to thrash about. "Phanpy, follow it up with an Earthquake!" Ash shouted.

Phanpy leaped and slammed down on the field, generating another tremor, causing a lot more damage to Steelix. Jon growled slightly. Knowing that his Pokémon was having too many difficulties, he did the next best thing and held up a Pokeball. "Steelix, return!" The Steel-type was returned back inside its Pokeball and the light around its icon faded.

"Seeing that Steelix was having too much of a hard time, Jon calls him back!" the MC narrated. "What will his next Pokémon be?"

Jon grabbed his next Pokeball. "Togetic, go!" He hurled the Pokeball. A small white and angelic looking Pokémon appeared. It had a long neck, short stubby arms, slightly larger feet, and a pair of wings on the back. Its body was covered in numerous red and blue triangles, which reminded Ash of the triangles that Latias and Latios had on their chests. Togetic's icon appeared in the third of Jon's slots.

"And Togetic is Jon's third Pokémon!" the MC announced unnecessarily.

Ash blinked as he stared at the small Pokémon, almost the same size as Phanpy. He looked behind him and stared at Misty's Togepi. He sweatdropped. "Is it tough?" he asked.

"_Togetics are strong Pokémon Ash. Don't get fooled by their looks, they can learn a large variety of moves!"_ Latios warned.

"_I sense this particular Togetic is well trained, so be very careful," _Latias warned as well. _"Togetics are Flying and Normal-Types."_

After hearing Latias and Latios' warnings, Phanpy readied himself, tensing and getting ready to attack at any given moment. "Don't worry daddy, I'll do my best!"

Togetic stared at the small Pokémon in confusion. "Daddy?" she inquired. Due to her special abilities, she could sense that the small Phanpy was a very happy Pokémon and had a strong attachment to his human trainer. She smiled, she enjoyed meeting happy Pokémon. She also took interest that the red haired girl had a Togepi, and for some reason, she could sense two presences beside the human trainer. One of them had a particularly high level of happiness. Latias blushed when she realized Togetic was staring at her.

Phanpy smiled. "Yep, he hatched me so he's my daddy, and I'll win for him!"

Togetic smiled. "Good Luck doing that, but I won't go down easy."

Phanpy grinned and got ready. Seeing that they were finished, Ash took the initiative. "Phanpy, use Hidden Power!" Ash ordered. Phanpy nodded as his body shined brightly. Several white orbs of energy generated around his body, and with a mighty cry, he sent them flying at the small Happiness Pokémon.

"Togetic, dodge!" Jon shouted. Togetic's wings flapped once and the small Pokémon quickly took off, evading the attack as the energy spheres passed where she had been a few seconds ago. "Now, use Silver Wind!" Jon ordered.

Togetic flapped her wings, sending a powerful gust of Silver-colored wind with several dark silver crescent waves at Phanpy. "Phanpy, use Rollout to dodge!" Ash commanded. Phanpy curled into a tight ball and rolled away from the attack, dodging the silvery gusts of wind.

"Togetic, use Metronome!" Jon ordered. Togetic began to wag her stubby arms sideways. Soon they started to glow a light blue.

"And Jon calls for the most unpredictable Pokémon attack!" the MC announced. "What will happen next!"

Suddenly, Togetic stopped moving her arms and with a massive rush of speed, disappeared. Phanpy had no time to react as Togetic slammed into him, knocking him back. "What was that!" Ash wondered.

"_It was either ExtremeSpeed or Quick Attack, but since it was so fast that not even I could sense Togetic's movements, it must have been ExtremeSpeed,"_ Latios clarified.

"Damn," Ash muttered. "Phanpy, now that Togetic is on the ground, use Rollout!" he shouted, noticing that the Happiness Pokémon was finally at ground level.

Phanpy curled into a ball and rolled as fast as he could towards the Happiness Pokémon. Jon growled. _'At that distance, Togetic can't fly away. If she does, that would just worsen the damage!' _he thought frantically. "Togetic, try to stop him!" Togetic nodded and extended her arms, planting her feet firmly and spreading her wings wide. Phanpy crashed against her, pushing her back. Anchoring herself in the grass, she managed to stop, even as the Ground-Type kept rolling, the friction hurting her arms. "Togetic, use Flamethrower!" Jon ordered.

Togetic opened her mouth and spat a stream of fire that washed over the Ground-Type. In spite of this, Phanpy remained strong. "Hidden Power!" Ash ordered. Within the blazing orb, a white glow appeared as Phanpy fired the Hidden Power attack. The attack detonated, catching both Togetic and Phanpy in the blast. Both Pokémon emerged from the resulting smoke rather quickly, Togetic flying to the sky and Phanpy sliding back from the force of the blast. "Hidden Power, again!" Ash bellowed.

Phanpy glowed as he generated several spheres of white energy and fired them skyward, aiming for the airborne Togetic. "Togetic, use Silver Wind!" Jon ordered. Togetic flapped her wings, creating a silvery gust of wind that collided against the Hidden Power orbs, wearing the attack down until it dissipated.

"Wow, impressive! This battle is definitely semi-final material!" the MC commented.

"Togetic, use Psychic!" Jon ordered. Togetic's eyes glowed as she exerted her mental powers.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Ash ordered. _'I have two powerful psychics with me. Like a psychic attack would bother me! I already know how to dodge them easily.' _

"_Only weak to mid-powered psychic attacks,"_ Latios corrected. _"There are psychic Pokémon stronger than me and Latias, and a simple burst of speed isn't going to get you out of their mental hold anytime soon."_

Ash chuckled nervously. _'Then as long as I don't face one, I'm fine."_

"_Don't worry, there are other tactics besides speed and f__ast movements to evade psychics. I'll teach what I know to you later if you want,"_ Latios offered.

'_Sure,'_ Ash thought. In the meantime, Phanpy was busy rolling around, and Togetic sighed in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get a grip on the Ground-Type's body, he was just moving too fast. She ended her Psychic attack as Phanpy stopped rolling.

"Togetic, use Metronome!" Jon ordered. Togetig wagged her arms as they were surrounded by a blue outline. She stopped and suddenly fired a massive surge of electricity as she used Thunderbolt. Phanpy didn't move and let the attack hit him. As expected, nothing happened. Jon sweatdropped. "Oops, bad luck."

"And Metronome was of no use…" the MC commented.

"Phanpy, Hidden Power again!" Ash shouted.

"_Don't you have __other attacks?"_ Latias inquired. _"You've been using that a lot lately."_

"Phanpy doesn't have another long range attack," Ash replied Mareepishly. Latias sweatdropped.

Phanpy fired another barrage of energy spheres at the flying Happiness Pokémon. "Dodge and use Metronome!" Jon ordered. Togetic once again wagged her arms as she frantically flew about, dodging Phanpy's attack. She was hit by one of the energy spheres, knocking her to the grass with a thud. She faced Phanpy as she finished wagging her arms. She grinned, hoping to get a good attack. Phanpy took a step back, getting ready for whatever attack was next…and was confused to see that Togetic started to cry.

"Okay… What's going on?" the MC wondered, confused.

Jon facepalmed. "Now what?"

"Errr," Phanpy muttered, seeing the sobbing Togetic and feeling a pang of guilt for hitting her with the earlier attack. "Did I hit you too hard with that attack? Sorry." Togetic only cried louder.

Ash blinked. "Err, explanation please."

Latios sweatdropped. _"I have no idea what's going on."_

"_Maybe its Fake Tears?"_ Latias suggested.

"They seem pretty real to me…" Ash muttered.

"_They__'re supposed to,"_ Latias telepathed. Ash sighed in confusion.

"Togetic, stop crying and use Flamethrower!" Jon ordered. Togetic wiped her tears away and spat a stream of fire at the surprised Ground-Type.

"Phanpy, use Defense curl!" Ash shouted.

"Hey, you tricked me!" Phanpy shouted, clearly annoyed as he curled into a tight ball. The flames washed over him but had no overall effect.

"Sorry, that's how the attack's supposed to work," Togetic apologized.

"Togetic, use Metronome!" Jon ordered again. Togetic groaned but complied as she began to wagged her arms yet again.

"Phanpy use Rollout!" Ash ordered, taking advantage of his prior use of Defense curl. Phanpy started rolling towards Togetic, displaying a lot more power than his previous Rollout attacks.

'_Please, __give me something useful!'_ Togetic pleaded in her mind, knowing that such a high-powered rollout could knock her out. Her prayers were answered as the second her arm waggling finished, an orb of water gathered in her arms and formed a Water Pulse. She hurled the orb of water at the incoming Phanpy. He had no time to react as the Water Pulse slammed against him, flinging him back and knocking him out. Togetic sighed in relief.

"Phanpy is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called. Phanpy's icon faded from the screen.

"Finally! Metronome worked!" the MC commented as Ash returned Phanpy back to his pokeball.

Ash hummed in thought as he contemplated his possibilities. He grinned. "Charizard! I choose you!" Ash shouted, throwing his Pokeball to the field. With a flash, the Fire-Type appeared. Everyone was surprised by this move. Charizard's icon appeared in the third of Ash's slots.

"And Ash's Charizard is now on the field!" the MC announced.

Togetic paled in fear at the Fire-Type before her. She hoped she was recalled, there was no way she was going to fight a Pokémon that huge! Especially not after getting tired-out from battling Phanpy! Charizard suppressed a snort of laughter. Togetic took a nervous step back_. 'Please return me Jon, please return me Jon, please return me Jon,'_ she thought over and over again. Latias and Latios exchanged amused looks and suppressed a laugh after hearing her thoughts.

"Damn Ash, couldn't you have called me to face a tougher opponent!" Charizard bellowed.

"I want to go to the five-minute break winning. I know you can knock two Pokémon out," Ash answered.

Charizard shrugged. "Sure," he said as he turned to look at the frightened Togetic. He grinned, causing a chill to go down her spine.

Jon held up a Pokeball. "Togetic, return!" he shouted. Togetic sighed in pure relief as she was returned to her Pokeball. The light around her icon faded.

"_She was spared a heart attack,"_ Latios commented jokingly. Latias and Ash laughed.

Charizard laughed too. "So true. I hope whoever's next is more of an opponent!"

"_Togetic is a very strong opponent, she was just ti__red. Plus she didn't have any attacks to deal with you effectively, that's why she was scared,"_ Latios told him. Charizard shrugged.

Jon grabbed his next Pokeball. "Ampharos, go!" The Pokeball opened and a bipedal yellow Pokémon materialized. It had a white belly and several black stripes on the neck, tail and ears. It also had a red sphere at the tip of its tail and one in its forehead. The Electric-Type's icon appeared on the large screen.

"And Ampharos is Jon's answer to Charizard!" the MC bellowed over the speakers.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Charizard said eagerly.

"Good Luck Charizard!" Pikachu shouted. Charizard nodded.

"Ash, be careful with that Type Disadvantage!" Brock shouted. Ash nodded.

"Good luck!" Misty followed.

'_I have to be careful,'_ Jon thought. _'That Charizard is strong. Latios took a severe beating against Harrison, I don't know for certain of Ash will use him or not, in the meantime, I must deal with his Charizard.'_

"Charizard! Use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, starting the battle once more. Charizard roared as he exhaled a huge stream of fire.

"Ampharos, use Thunderbolt!" Jon ordered. Ampharos fired a colossal blast of electricity. Both attacks clashed, holding in a stalemate as they began to weaken out.

"Charizard, quick, use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered. Charizard stopped the Fire attack and fired a concentrated orb of draconic energy just as the Thunderbolt and the Flamethrower disappeared, both attacks completely spent. The energy sphere passed through, heading towards Ampharos.

"Ampharos, block it with Thunder Punch!" Jon shouted. Ampharos's hands began to shine a bright yellow as a huge amount of Electricity gathered in them. The energy sphere collided with Ampharos as it thrust its arm forward, smashing the Thunder Punch into the Dragon Rage. The Electric-type was pushed back by the sheer force behind the attack, but the energy blast was unable to break his Thunder Punch.

With a mighty cry, Ampharos broke the energy sphere apart, reducing it to simple strands of light that harmlessly passed by the Electric-Type's sides. To Ampharos's shock, Charizard was already flying in its direction. "Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

"With a powerful series of attacks, now Charizard has an opening to hit Ampharos!" the MC bellowed over the speakers. The crowd cheered.

Charizard roared and spat a very potent stream of fire. Jon growled. With no time to dodge or formulate a defense, only one thought occurred to him. "Use Thunder!"

Hearing the command, Charizard quickly extended his wings, stopping and flying a few feet back as he kept the Flamethrower trained on the Electric-type. Ampharos gave a loud cry as it released a colossal blast of electricity skyward. The stream of fire collided with the electricity, the Thunder dispersing the flames to either side. "What a powerful shield, this battle is intense!" the MC commented.

"Charizard, look up!" Ash shouted. Charizard took a brief glance upwards, seeing the incoming Electric blast as the Thunder descended towards him.

With a flap of his wings, he dodged sideways, the electrical attack passing where he had been a few seconds ago and slamming harmlessly to the floor. He quickly spread his wings out, stabilizing him in the air again. "Ampharos, Discharge!" Jon ordered.

Ampharos' body glowed a bright yellow as lighting bolts were fired everywhere, Charizard's eyes widened slightly, seeing the incoming barrage of lighting strikes. "Charizard, use Air Slash!" Ash ordered. Charizard began flapping his wings, sending powerful gusts of air in every direction that turned into crescent blades. Both attacks collided, the air blades crashing against the electric attacks and canceling each other out. Ampharos panted as the Discharge ended, worn out after using so many Electric attacks.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard opened his jaws and belched a stream of fire at the immobilized Electric-Type.

"Quick Ampharos, use Light Screen!" Jon shouted frantically. Ampharos raised its arms and formed a thick square screen of bright yellow light in front of it. The Fire attack collided with the screen but was unable to break it. The flames were torn apart and divided into many smaller flamethrowers, all passing around the Light Screen. "What an attack, the battle just keeps getting better!" the MC commented.

"Now, use Power Gem! Down that Charizard!" Jon ordered.

As Charizard's Flamethrower died down, Ampharos clapped its arms together, forming an orb of bright brown and white energy. "Charizard, charge at Ampharos and use Fire Spin, and then spin!" Ash ordered.

"_What?__!"_ Latios questioned flatly.

'_Just wait and see,'_ Ash thought. Charizard quickly dived towards the Ampharos. As he gained speed, he spat out a Fire Spin, and since he was flying rather fast, he caught up to the flames, spinning and turning into a blazing fire projectile. Ampharos fired the Power Gem, hurling the orb of brown and white light forward. To Ampharos' complete shock, Charizard ripped the attack apart, the Power Gem disintegrating completely from the intensity of Charizard's attack.

Having no way to dodge, Ampharos braced itself. The flame missile that was Charizard collided against the Electric-Type, flinging the Ampharos back a dozen feet, landing in the grass completely out cold. Charizard righted himself and flew back to Ash, landing in front of him with a roar of pride and victory. "Ampharos is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called as Jon returned the defeated Electric-type, the icon disappearing from the screen.

"Despite the type disadvantage, Ash's Charizard beat Jon's Ampharos!" the MC summarized, the crowd cheered. "Both trainers are down to four Pokémon each!"

Jon growled lowly. _'I lost Ampharos even with a type advantage… that Charizard is something else, I must once again fight with an advantage if I want to win… in that case…'_ Jon thought as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Feraligatr, I choose you!" he shouted, hurling the Pokeball. A bipedal blue crocodilian Pokemon was released onto the field. Feraligatr's icon appeared on the fifth slot of Jon's team.

'_Again with __the disadvantage,'_ Ash thought.

"_Since when has that stopped you?"_ Latios asked rhetorically. He chuckled. _"I think you fight better with a disadvantage than with an advantage." _

Latias giggled. _"Yep, I think so too."_

Ash laughed nervously. "That's reassuring."

"Feraligatr is Jon's next Pokémon to deal with Ash's seemingly unstoppable Charizard!" the MC cried in excitement.

Charizard smirked proudly at the comment. "Hell yeah, I'm ripping this guy's team apart!"

Latios and Latias sweatdropped_. "He said _seemingly_ unstoppable," _Latios pointed out.

Charizard laughed. "I'll change that soon enough."

"Well, get started on that, use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered. Charizard nodded and turned to Feraligatr, jaws wide open as he fired a sphere of blazing draconic energy at the Water-Type.

"Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr complied, opening its own jaws and firing a huge torrent of Water, easily blasting through the Dragon Rage.

"Charizard, quick, fly to dodge!" Ash shouted. Charizard flapped his great wings, lifting him off the ground, the torrent of water passing just below him.

"Oh no, I don't think so, Feraligatr, use Blizzard!" Jon shouted. Feraligatr opened its jaws and fired a potent blizzard, the icy winds quickly making their way towards Charizard.

"And Jon has ordered an Ice Attack, this is getting interesting!" the MC commented excitedly.

Despite Charizard's attempts to dodge, he was unable to avoid the attack. The freezing-cold winds collided against him, having a neutral effect due to his part Flying typing. "Charizard, use Fire spin to break out!" Ash ordered. Charizard spat a spiraling blast of fire, easily creating an effective shield from the Blizzard attack. "Change to Flamethrower!" Ash shouted.

Charizard spat a more direct stream of fire. It began pushing back against the Ice-Type attack. Jon had no intention of letting this continue. "Feraligatr, change to Hydro Pump!" he commanded. Feraligatr stopped the Blizzard and fired a potent blast of pressurized water.

The change of attack was good as the Water-Type attack began to slowly push back the Flamethrower, but this made Charizard pour more power into his Flamethrowers, to the point that both attacks were in a perfect stalemate, Charizard's Flamethrower evaporating the water just as fast as Feraligatr was firing it. Soon, after a few seconds, the entire arena was covered in a thick cloud of steam, blocking both trainers' view of their Pokémon. Thankfully, Ash was prepared for that. "Charizard, use Seismic Toss!" Ash ordered. "Feraligatr still hasn't moved!"

Charizard nodded and dived towards where he had last seen the Water-Type. Jon growled lowly. _'From previous matches, I know that he can somehow see his Pokémon, even when they're visually blocked. I have to be careful,'_ Jon thought. "Feraligatr, quick, dodge it!" Jon shouted. Feraligatr looked confused, but tried and began to run to the right.

Ash smirked. _'It's no use…'_ he mentally chuckled. "Charizard, fly a bit to the right!" Ash shouted.

Jon looked nervous. _'Please, Feraligatr, I so hope you didn't go to the right…'_ he thought desperately. A small cry of pain was heard as suddenly, Charizard emerged from the top of the cloud of steam, Feraligatr in his arms. Jon paled. _'Oh, crap.'_

"And Charizard has grabbed hold of Feraligatr! This could be it!" the MC cried excitedly. Charizard began doing loops in the air, adding more momentum to his flight. He flew downwards in a steep dive as he reentered the cloud of steam. A powerful crash was heard as Feraligatr was slammed into the grassy arena. Charizard flew back and landed in front of Ash, gazing at where he had impacted the Water-Type.

To everyone's surprise as the steam cleared, Feraligatr was ready for more. The Water-Type was standing up, even after the rather powerful impact of that Seismic Toss! "And Feraligatr is up! The battle continues!" the MC cried.

Charizard cracked his knuckles. "So, ready for more?"

"_You shouldn't do that,"_ Latias warned.

Charizard frowned. "Do what?"

"_The knuckle thing, you'll get a nasty__ bone disease from that,"_ Latias warned.

Charizard laughed nervously. "A few times won't hurt." Latias rolled her eyes.

"Charizard, in the sky you have the advantage, so fly!" Ash ordered. Charizard nodded and spread his wings wide, ready to take off.

"Feraligatr, stop him, fire a Hydro Pump above him then charge at him with a Crunch attack!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr gave a mighty battle cry and lunged forward as he shot a powerful stream of water above Charizard, forcing him to stay in the ground or else be hit by the attack.

"And Feraligatr manages to keep Charizard on the ground, and it's approaching rather fast! It looks like a good close-range battle is about to start!" the MC announced excitedly. The crowd cheered.

"Charizard, get ready for close-range combat!" Ash shouted. Charizard planted his feet in the grass, spread his wings, and readied himself as the Feraligatr closed in. "Dodge backwards!"

Feraligatr lunged with its jaws wide open, ready to take a bite out of Charizard. The large Fire Dragon-like Pokémon took a step back, making the bite miss by a few inches. "Use Scratch!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr swung its arms widely, trying to hit the Fire-Type.

"Charizard, catch them!" Ash shouted. Charizard easily caught Feraligatr's claws with his own. Feraligatr tried to free his arms, but to no avail, Charizard's rough training in the valley had given him immense physical strength, so he was easily able to restrain Feraligatr's arms.

"Feraligatr, use Crunch!" Jon commanded desperately, seeing Charizard was overpowering his Water-Type. Feraligatr lunged forward, jaws wide open, aiming to give Charizard a powerful bite.

"Use your tail, Charizard!" Ash shouted. Charizard quickly released Feraligatr's arms and spun, slamming his tail into the Water-Type's side, causing it to emit a cry of pain.

"Quick, use Hydro Pump!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr quickly righted itself and fired a potent blast of water, catching Charizard off-guard. Charizard was pushed back a few meters from the sheer power behind the Hydro Pump, but there was no way Charizard was falling to it. He placed his wings in front of his body as a shield, and with a mighty roar, flapped them, completely tearing the Hydro Pump apart.

"Charizard has broken the Hydro Pump! Talk about power and endurance!" the MC noted.

Ash smirked. _'It'll take a lot more than that to beat Charizard,' _he thought proudly. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" Charizard opened his jaws and fired a blazing orb of orange energy.

"Use Waterfall, Feraligatr!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr started running towards Charizard as a massive torrent of water covered it, turning the Big Jaw Pokémon into a water missile. The Dragon Rage collided against it, but the attack was torn apart in seconds by the superior strength of the Waterfall.

"Charizard, weaken his Waterfall attack with a Fire-spin!" Ash ordered. Charizard nodded and spat a spiraling stream of fire. The attack covered the incoming Feraligatr and started to evaporate the water, weakening the attack. "Now fly up and shoot a Flamethrower downwards!"

Charizard smirked. With a powerful flap of his wings, he was lifted off the ground, quickly adjusting his neck downwards as Feraligatr passed beneath him and spewing a potent blast of fire. The attack evaporated the rest of the water and hit Feraligatr in the back, imbedding him into the grassy field. Charizard applied more power to his Flamethrower, enveloping the Water-Type completely.

When Charizard stopped the Flamethrower, a knocked-out Feraligatr was revealed. Jon's jaw dropped in disbelief. _'That thing beat another one of my Pokémon, even with a disadvantage!' _

"Feraligatr is unable to continue battling!" the Referee announced as the Big Jaw Pokémon's icon disappeared. "Since three of Jon's Pokemon are down, a short 5 minute rest will be taken!"

"And Ash Ketchum's impressive Charizard has defeated another of Jon Dickson's Pokémon!" the MC cried, clearly impressed. The crowd cheered excitedly.

Ash pumped his fist into the air. "Yeah! Great work Charizard!"

Charizard smirked. "Alright, who's next?"

Latias giggled. _"No one, the five minute break is next. Didn't you hear the Referee?"_

Charizard sighed. "Great, just when I was on a winning streak."

Latias, Latios and Pikachu laughed. Ash chuckled a little and held up a Pokeball. "Its okay, there's still plenty of battle left, return!" The Pokeball shot a red beam towards the Fire-Type as Charizard was recalled back to his Pokeball.

Ash smiled happily as he walked back to the bench and took a seat. "So, how am I doing?"

"Impressive," Misty commented. "Charizard has been very good, he's beaten two Pokémon even with a disadvantage… which just proves that you fight better at a disadvantage."

"_Yep,"_ Latios agreed. _"Told you so."_

Ash looked at the scoreboard. He saw that Jon already had five used slots, his fallen Rapidash, Ampharos and Feraligatr, and his still active Steelix and Togetic, while he only had three used slots, the ones for his defeated Phanpy and Totodile, and Charizard. "So far, I have four Pokémon left to deal with Jon's three, I think I'm good," Ash commented.

"Just, don't get overconfident," Brock advised.

Ash smiled. "I know. I won't."

Meanwhile in the stands, Delia was smiling happily. "He's winning! He's just a step away from the finals!"

Gary nodded. "That's Ashy-boy alright, still as impressive as ever!"

Professor Elm sulked. "Jon is another of my trainers that I gave a starter to… Ash already knocked out Jackson, he's after another prospect of mine!"

Professor Oak laughed. "Yes, he'll make Pallet Town's name famous with his current victories, especially with his usage of Latios."

"Why can't any of my trainers catch a Legendary?" Professor Elm lamented.

Delia laughed. "Cheer up! Be happy for him. He's so young, yet he's made it so far."

Professor Elm smiled. "Yeah, that I'll admit."

Gary laughed. "The other two semifinalists are probably begging that Ash loses. None of them want to see Ash and his Latios in the finals, that's for sure."

Everyone laughed. "That's true," Delia replied, stifling a giggle.

In another part of the stands, Jessie sighed as she returned from another trip of selling popcorn and lemonade. She walked back to the cart where Meowth was waiting to replenish her products at the same time as James. "So, Meowth, how's the cash going?" James asked.

The talking Pokémon smirked. "Perfect, we have a huge load of cash saved, since we've been saving ever since da start of da Silver Conference. Now we can order da Ultimate Team Rocket mecha from Elite Headquarters," Meowth said. He reached under his sales cart and took out a magazine entitled "Team Rocket's Catalog of Mechas of Doom".

"We've been using that thing to get our robots for ages, and they always get destroyed," James pointed out.

"True," Meowth admitted. "But dis time…" the Normal-Type opened the magazine and started flipping through the pages. He smirked and showed them an article at the near end of the catalog. Jessie and James gasped.

"Wow, that thing is on the Ultimate Limited Edition mecha list…" Jessie said, clearly impressed.

"Isn't that thing only for the most Elite of Team Rocket members?" James asked.

"We can dress up and pretend to be Elites," Meowth commented offhandedly. "With dis thing, we can defeat da twerps and deir little legendary friend!"

"True," James admitted. He looked at the description in the book began to read it out loud. "'This is the most powerful machine ever produced by Team Rocket's Elite headquarter. It has never been reported to have failed a mission. This machine is best designed for defeating Psychic-Type Pokémon, but is also effective against any other type of Pokémon. It features a large number of offensive weapons and several defensive systems that makes it immune to all attacks.'"

"Immune to all Pokémon attacks, designed for use against Psychics…This is perfect!" Jessie said, eagerly awaiting the time when they could capture not just Latios, but all of Ash's Pokémon.

"But imagine what da boss could do with a Legendary Pokémon like Latios," Meowth started. "Imagine dat da boss is tired and has a lot of work to do?" Meowth said as he imagined a chibi and comic version of Giovanni.

"I'm tired and don't want to do anything today," the Chibi Giovanni said.

"And… dat's when Latios appears!" Meowth chanted, adding a Chibi and Comic Latios. "Latios can use his Psychic Powers to do everything for da boss!" In the daydream, the Chibi Latios began to use his Psychic powers to do paperwork, chores, and other random stuff. "And den," he continued. "Some stupid trainer will challenge da boss to a Gym battle." In the Daydream, Giovanni groaned. "And, of course, Latios is dere as well!" Now, a battle was depicted where Latios easily defeated the trainer's Pokémon with Psychic attacks and a Luster Purge or two. "Den da Boss will say: Meowth and his friends really brought me a powerful and rare Pokémon, for dat dey will get a promotion and bigger numbers in deir paychecks!" Meowth gushed, trying (and failing) to imitate Giovanni's voice. "And I get to be top pet!" Meowth imagined the Chibi Giovanni kicking his Persian out and replacing it with him.

"Yes!" Jessie and James chorused happily.

"When this match is over, we'll order the robot," James announced. "That way, we can catch the twerps as they leave Silver Town!"

"Yep, dat's the idea!" Meowth agreed. They refilled their trays with popcorn and lemonade and decided to keep selling as they plotted their plan. _'Latios… you are now ours…' _they thought.

In the field, the Referee stepped forward. "The five minute break is over. Trainers, resume the battle!"

Ash stood up from the bench and walked back to the box painted on the floor. "Good luck!" his friends chorused. Ash smiled and nodded at them.

Jon walked back to his box. "May the best trainer win, Ash!" he called.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, and that'll be me!"

Jon smirked. "Don't count on it, I still a few surprises left. Steelix, go!" He threw the Pokeball, summoning the large steel serpent back to the field.

Ash smirked. "Charizard, it's time for you to battle again!" he shouted, releasing the Fire-Type.

"So, the second half of the battle between Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town is about to begin with Charizard against Steelix!" the MC announced.

Charizard smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Ah, it's my turn again so soon? Perfect."

"_Charizard!"_ Latias scolded. _"What did I tell you!"_

Charizard laughed nervously. He pushed the matter aside and glared at his opponent. Jon growled lowly. _'Not that Charizard again. Steelix is at a disadvantage, but…I think I can win…'_

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash started. Charizard reared back and spat a powerful stream of fire at the large Steel-Type.

"Steelix, use Sandstorm!" Jon ordered. Steelix roared as the huge spikes protruding from its sides began to spin, slowly pickling up speed as a sandstorm surrounded Steelix. The Sandstorm easily pushed back Charizard's Fire-Type attack back. "Follow it up with Iron Tail!" Jon shouted. Steelix quickly stopped the sandstorm as it swung its tail at Charizard, causing the Sandstorm to subside.

"Charizard, Fly!" Ash shouted. Charizard flapped his wings and quickly flew upwards, dodging the massive tail as it slammed where he had been a few seconds ago. "Now, use Flamethrower!" Charizard complied and breathed out another potent stream of fire.

"Steelix, counter with Dragon Breath!" Jon shouted. Steelix reared back and exhaled a blast of green flames. The attacks collided and held for a second, until Charizard's attack began pushing Steelix's Dragon Breath attack back. Jon growled. '_That damn Charizard!'_

"Charizard is overwhelming Steelix!" the MC noted. The Crowd cheered.

"Steelix, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Steelix cut off the Dragon Breath attack as two blue rings of blue light appeared around it, turning into several dozen sharp stones that were flung at Charizard, ripping his Flamethrower apart with ease.

"Charizard, quick, dive back to the ground!" Ash shouted. Charizard nodded and quickly descended, causing the sharp stones to pass above him. "Now, Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. Charizard spat another stream of fire.

"Steelix, use Sandstorm again!" Jon ordered. Steelix nodded as its spiked segments began to spin again, creating a powerful sandstorm and blocking the Flamethrower. Unbeknownst to Jon, that was exactly what Ash wanted.

'_I remember that I beat __Jasmine's Steelix by turning its sandstorm against it… Let's do the same here,'_ Ash thought. "Charizard, use Fire Spin!"

Charizard reared back and spat a zigzagging stream of fire. The Fire Spin merged with the Sandstorm, creating a tornado of fire and sand surrounding Steelix. "Ash is creating a fire tornado to trap Steelix! Brilliant!" the MC noted. Brock and Misty remembered Ash doing the same to Jasmine, but with Cyndaquil. It had worked pretty well then, too.

"Now, Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard spat a more direct and stronger stream of fire, turning Steelix's Sandstorm into a blazing fire tornado. "Fly towards it!" Charizard flew towards the fire tornado.

"Steelix, use Hyper Beam to break free!" Jon ordered. With a deafening roar, Steelix fired a Hyper Beam inside the tornado. The sheer force of the following explosion repelled the tornado and extinguished the flames. The explosion didn't do much to Steelix because of its Steel Type, but as Steelix looked up, it was shocked to see Charizard a few meters away from its face.

"Flamethrower!" Ash bellowed. Charizard fired the point-blank Flamethrower, hitting Steelix directly in the head and knocking him out. The huge Steel-Type serpent had been defeated.

"Steelix is unable to continue battling!" the Referee announced as Steelix's icon faded from the screen. Jon sighed as he returned his fallen Pokémon.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered. "Great work Charizard!"

"Charizard has now beaten three of Jon Dickson's Pokémon!" the MC noted, clearly impressed.

"Great work Ash!" Misty called. "You too, Charizard!"

"Keep it up!" Bianca added.

"Yeah, keep this up and you'll be ready for the Finals!" Brock cheered, proud for his friend.

Jon smirked. _'You've been fighting really impressively, Ash, but its time you meet my strongest Pokémon…' _He grabbed a Pokeball. "Tyranitar! Go!" Jon shouted, hurling the Pokeball to the center of the field.

A huge bipedal Pokémon appeared. It had menacing-looking fangs and claws. It had a mostly green armored body with spikes growing from the back of the head, shoulders, back and tail-tip. A blue rhombus was depicted on its chest. The huge armored Rock and Dark Type Pokémon gave a loud deafening roar. Charizard was more eager to fight than ever, rather than intimidated, naturally. "So…" Ash murmured. "That's a Tyranitar..."

"This is gonna be good," Charizard commented eagerly, glaring at the Tyranitar.

The Tyranitar glared back. "A Fire-Type… Heh, this shouldn't be too hard."

"Ash, you've been an impressive opponent, and that Charizard of yours is something special, but you will fall here. My Tyranitar is my strongest Pokémon! He will defeat you!" Jon said to Ash.

"That Tyranitar will just be another point for Charizard in his increasing list of beaten Pokémon," Ash countered. "Right, Charizard?"

"Hell yeah!" Charizard agreed, shooting a small stream of fire upwards.

"Charizard versus Tyranitar! Talk about a duel of pure power!" the MC commented. "So far, Jon Dickson's Tyranitar has not been defeated in the current Silver Conference!"

'_That will change soon,'_ Ash thought.

"_Ash, be careful, Tyranitar are extremely powerful Pokémon!"_ Latias warned.

'_I know,'_ Ash thought. _'I have four Pokémon left to deal with him, I can win this!'_ "Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Charizard opened his jaws and fired a very powerful stream of flames directly at the Rock and Dark-Type.

"Tyranitar, use Rock Tomb!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar reared back and slammed a first into the grassy ground, causing a huge stone slab to come out of the earth, creating a shield that effectively blocked the Flamethrower.

The ground beneath Charizard's feet trembled. Somehow, Ash sensed this and knew what was going to happen. "Charizard, fly up fast!" Ash shouted. Charizard wasted not a single second. He stopped the Flamethrower and flew up. A second later, four pillars of stone rose from where he had been standing and crashed against each other.

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Two blue rings of energy materialized around Tyranitar, forming several dozen sharp stones that were flung in rapid succession at the airborne Fire and Flying-Type.

"Charizard, use Air Slash!" Ash ordered. Charizard began to flap his wings, sending a barrage of crescent air blades at the incoming Stone Edge. The air blades collided with the Stone Edges, slicing the rocks into pieces due to their rather small size. "Now use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard reared back and spat a powerful stream of fire downwards. The attack hit Tyranitar, but surprisingly, the Armor Pokémon didn't move or look troubled by the attack.

"Tyranitar is hit! But its rock-hard armor holds strong!" the MC announced.

"Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar opened his maw and began to form an orb of volatile energy. A second later a huge orange energy beam was fired.

"Charizard, dodge!" Ash shouted. Charizard quickly flew to the side, dodging the huge beam. Tyranitar adjusted his aim, moving his head in the direction of Charizard, but the Fire-Type was faster, he managed to successfully dodge the attack. "Now, use Fire Spin!" Ash shouted.

Charizard spat a spiraling blast of fire. The attack quickly enveloped the Rock and Dark-Type in a tornado of flames. Charizard smirked. "Gotcha."

"Tyranitar, break free with Stone Edge!" Jon shouted. Inside the tornado, a small blue light appeared. Suddenly, the pillar of fire was blasted apart as a barrage of sharp stones was sent flying everywhere. "Dark Pulse!" Tyranitar opened his jaws as a sphere of black and purple rings appeared in it. With a mighty roar, he fired a beam composed of the rings. Charizard tried to move out of the way, but felt completely stiff before the power of the Dark-Type attack, Dark Pulse's flinching effect was taking place.

The attack hit Charizard and created a terrible explosion mid-air as Charizard was knocked from the sky. "Charizard!" Ash shouted in concern. Charizard quickly righted himself and spread his wings, stopping his fall.

Charizard panted. _'Damn, after so many battles, I'm starting to get tired…_'

"Charizard took a rather hard hit from that Dark Pulse!" the MC cried.

'_I've never seen an attack like that…'_ Ash thought, growling slightly.

"_That Tyranitar must be very well trained to know attacks like that,"_ Latios commented.

"_He's also __taking Charizard's attack easily. Well, that's obvious because of the disadvantage, but even so… he doesn't seem to be feeling them at all!"_ Latias added.

"Tyranitar, Dark Pulse again!" Jon shouted, glad that he finally had a chance against Charizard. Tyranitar fired another beam of black and purple rings, aiming for the airborne Fire-Type.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Charizard quickly spat a stream of fire at the incoming Dark-Type attack. The attacks crashed, making a thunderous sound as they exploded.

"Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar quickly charged the attack, forming two blue rings around him that materialized into sharp stones which he fired skywards. Charizard was looking at the smoke cloud resulting from the explosion and suddenly a barrage of sharp stones appeared. He had no time to react as the stones pummeled him, leaving several bleeding gashes and bruises. He panted tiredly, but even so, he refused to go down.

"Charizard took another hard hit!" the MC cried.

Ash growled lowly. "I need something to do some serious damage to Tyranitar…" He then noticed something as he looked to the sky, to where the Fire and Flying-Type was. Charizard's body began shinning a bright red as his Blaze ability activated, making his tail flame grow about ten times its size. Ash grinned. _'Perfect, but I still need something else…' _He looked down at the field and noticed something. The grassy field, while it was mostly intact, had a few burnt patches of grass from the extensive Fire attacks. It was severely dry, and a few embers were lit here and there from Charizard's most recent attacks. Ash got a devilish idea. "Let's make roasted Tyranitar. Charizard, use Flamethrower on the battlefield!"

Jon's eyes widened. "He's gonna attack the field again?" _'In his previous two matches, Ash destroyed the battlefield to gain an upper hand over his opponents, but what can burning a bunch of grass do?"_

Charizard found the command rather stupid. He had his Blaze boost, he should be attacking Tyranitar! But, as most of Ash's Pokémon knew, they had a rather special trainer, and Charizard knew that while the command was rather odd, it meant his trainer had a good plan, so he pushed his doubts aside and spat a powerful blast of fire directly at the battlefield.

"Charizard has been ordered to attack the field! Ash has a thing for destroying battlefields doesn't he?" the MC commented. Ash sweatdropped.

Charizard began to shoot Flamethrowers all across the battlefield, much to Jon's confusion. Soon, the battlefield was transformed a blazing inferno. Ash, Jon and the Referee began to sweat from the sheer heat of the burning field. Jon and the Referee took a few steps back from the battlefield. Ash didn't, he knew by instinct that if the flames got too close, Latias or Latios would push them away with Psychic. _'Damn, trainers these days are crazy!' _the Referee thought, clearly terrified by the burning battlefield.

"Impressive, the entire battlefield is now an inferno!" the MC cried. The crowd cheered wildly.

Tyranitar wasn't fairing too well either. Yes, he was heat-resistant, but being inside an inferno was another thing. He could feel his rock armor began to heat up from the intense flames it was being submitted to. "Charizard, use Flamethrower on Tyranitar!" Ash shouted. Charizard opened his jaws and fired a colossal stream of fire. The attack collided with the immobile Tyranitar, who gave a screech of pain._ 'Not so tough now… Hehehe.'_

'_Can't take the heat?'_ Charizard thought, impressed by Ash's idea.

"Damn what is Ash doing!" Professor Oak asked, sweating slightly from the sheer heat.

"This is amazing," Gary admitted. "I know Tyranitar is resistant to heat, but a burning field is too much for any Pokémon!"

"This is one dramatic and epic photo!" Delia chimed, taking pictures of the battle taking place. They sweatdropped (Or was it simple sweat from the heat?).

"At the rate this is going, the fire is going to drain all of Tyranitar's strength! Jon has to stop this quickly!" Professor Elm said anxiously.

'_Come __on Ashy-boy, you can do it, go ahead and make it to the finals, a Tyranitar and a Togetic are all that stands in your way,'_ Gary thought.

Jon growled. "Tyranitar, use Stone Edge, down that Charizard!" Tyranitar gave a massive roar as two blue rings surrounded him that materialized into extremely sharp stoned. He launched them, easily cutting through the fires as they collided with the Fire-Type. Charizard gave a cry of pain as he hit the floor rather hard. The fires enveloped him, but he had been submerged in lava before, so this was nothing.

"Damn Ash, did you have to burn the field like this, my fur just makes it worse!" Pikachu complained. Ash laughed.

Charizard stood up and tried to flap off the ground, but to his terror, he felt a sharp pain in his right wing. He immediately folded it. _'Damn, that last Stone Edge got my wing! And I'm too tired…No, I will knock out that Tyranitar!' _Charizard gave a massive roar as he began to shine a very bright shade of red, his tail flame growing to almost the same size as him. The fires across the field began to extinguish as they started to burn themselves out, but the heat was, if anything getting _worse_ from whatever Charizard was doing.

"What's Charizard doing!" Ash wondered.

"_I don't know!"_ Latias telepathed. She found herself relieved that her feathers were heat-proof, through she and Latios were psychically making sure the heat didn't get to Ash.

"What is that!" Misty asked, completely awed by Charizard's power.

"I don't know either!" Brock answered.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Jon shouted. Tyranitar quickly readied the attack, charging the ring beam. He fired it, aiming directly at Charizard.

Soon, the field had completely burnt itself out because most of the grass was consumed and the heat from Charizard's attack was using up all the oxygen, choking the flames. With a roar that rivaled Tyranitar's (And probably a few other Legendaries that Latios knew of), Charizard fired a huge blast of flames so hot that the fire was a pure white and surrounded by a series of red and yellow rings. Charizard had just learned one of the most devastating Fire Moves: Overheat. The Dark Pulse never stood a chance as it was completely destroyed by the Overheat attack.

Tyranitar shrieked as he was hit by the massive fire attack. He was pushed back at least a dozen meters back and enveloped in a huge maelstrom of fire. The colossal attack forced everyone to cover their eyes from the sheer intensity of the flames. A minute later, the intense blast died down. Tyranitar was surprisingly still standing, his chest completely singed a burnt black to the point where his blue rhombus was completely gone and he was panting.

The battlefield was now a scorched wasteland as well, and Charizard was lying facedown, completely out. The sheer force of his attack had drained what energies he had left. The referee raised the corresponding flag. "Charizard is unable to continue battling!" he shouted as his icon faded from the screen.

Ash smiled as he returned the fallen fire-type. "Great work Charizard, I'm proud of you," Ash whispered to the Pokeball.

"After an impressive display of power, Charizard simply couldn't take the heat anymore!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

"Tauros, I choose you!" Ash shouted. The large brown bull Pokémon appeared on the field and the Normal-Type's icon appeared in the fourth of Ash's slots.

"And Tauros is Ash's fourth pokemon!" The MC announced rather unnecessarily.

'_If Ash uses Latios, I'm__ doomed… I have only Tyranitar, who's looking tired, and Togetic. By now she should be well rested, but even so, I don't think they can take down Latios,' _Jon thought.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Jon shouted. Tyranitar quickly generated the orb of rings and fired it, shaping a beam of black and purple rings.

"Tauros, dodge!" Ash shouted. The bull Pokémon quickly ran to the side, escaping the attack. "Now, use Earthquake!"

"Tyranitar, use Rock tomb!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar slammed a fist into the ground. Before Tauros could use the Earthquake attack, four stone pillars surrounded the Normal-Type, and they slammed together, trapping him in a prison of stone.

Ash growled slightly. _'Even after Charizard's attacks, that Tyranitar still has the power to fight back!' _he thought, clearly surprised.

"_Think clearly Ash, you can__ still win,"_ Latias said.

Ash nodded. "Tauros, blast that thing apart with a Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted. A few seconds later, the prison blew up, revealing the Bull Pokémon. "Now, use Take Down!" Ash shouted.

Tauros charged at the Tyranitar like a bulldozer, lots of power behind the attack, so much that the ground trembled slightly. "Tyranitar, brace yourself!" Jon shouted.

"Wow, what power!" the MC cried, impressed.

Tyranitar got ready and just as Tauros crashed against him, he caught the Bull Pokémon by the horns. The Rock and Dark-Type was actually pushed back a few meters from the sheer force behind the Normal-Type, but he still managed to halt the attack. Tauros' eyes widened in surprise. "Lift it up!" Jon ordered.

"Ouch, talk about taking the Tauros by the horns," Pikachu commented.

"Quick Tauros, break free!" Ash shouted.

Tyranitar released one of Tauros' horns and placed his hand underneath Tauros's body, easily lifting the Bull Pokémon high above him. "Now, slam him down and use Hyper Beam!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar slammed Tauros to the ground _very_ hard. An energy orb formed in Tyranitar's maw as he fired a point black Hyper Beam, creating a terrible explosion.

When the explosion cleared, Tyranitar was standing triumphantly over a knocked out Tauros. Ash growled. _'Man that was powerful.'_

"Tauros is unable to continue battling!" the Referee declared. Tauros's icon disappeared from the screen. Ash returned the defeated Normal-Type.

"Now, with Tauros's defeat, both trainers are tied with two Pokémon each!" the MC commented.

Ash grabbed his next Pokeball. "Go, Noctowl!" Ash shouted, sending out the shiny owl Pokémon. The Owl's icon appeared in the fifth of Ash's slots.

"Wow! A shiny Noctowl is Ash's fifth Pokémon choice!" the MC cried, clearly impressed.

'_I only__ have Noctowl and Larvitar left against that Tyranitar, this looks bad!'_ Ash thought desperately. _'And Togetic is still left!'_

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Two blue rings formed around the Rock-Type. Seconds later, a barrage of sharp stones was fired towards the small owl Pokémon.

"Noctowl, stop them with Confusion!" Ash shouted. The crest above Noctowl's eyes shined a bright blue as a powerful blast of blue light was fired, deflecting most of the stones that were sent his way. Noctowl dodged the remainder of the Stone Edge that his beam didn't destroy.

Noctowl's keen eyes noted something. "Ash!" the Owl Pokémon called. "As I am now, I can't beat a Tyranitar, but that Tyranitar's armor has extensive damage in the neck and chest!"

Ash focused and noticed that Tyranitar's chest and neck armor had several cracks running along it. _'That Hyper Beam he detonated must have caused them, his body armor was already weakened by Charizard's attacks…'_ Ash realized.

"Noctow, use Steel Wing! Aim for a weak spot," Ash ordered. Nowtowl flew towards the Rock-Type as his wings shone a bright white, hardening to metal.

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Once again, Tyranitar charged the Rock-type attack, flinging a barrage of extremely sharp stones at the incoming Flying type.

Noctowl took a brief glance at the attack, memorizing the position of _every _single stone, and quickly calculated a safe spot within the attack, taking into account that his wings were safe because of the Steel Wing. Noctowl moved slightly to the right and downwards. "Noctowl!" Ash cried, concerned for his Pokémon, seeing that he was heading directly into an attack that due to its power and Noctowl's frail body could knock him out in a single blow.

To everyone's surprise, not a single stone hit the Flying-Type. He passed through the only space in which there was no stone to dodge. A few hit his wings, but the stones were pulverized by his Steel Wing. Latias and Latios' jaws dropped. Sure, they had known the owl was a smart Pokémon, but since they were psychics, they sensed the sheer amount of calculations and computations that had crossed the owl's mind as he dodged the attack. They were clearly impressed. The owl had an astounding mind for a Normal type.

Noctowl quickly adjusted his trajectory and slammed one of his wings across Tyranitar's chest. The armor cracked slightly. "Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Jon shouted. Tyranitar fired the ringed beam towards the owl Pokémon.

"Noctowl, dodge and make another pass with Steel Wing!" Ash shouted. Noctowl quickly dropped into a steep dive, causing the Dark Pulse to fly overhead. He once again flew towards the Tyranitar, wings glowing a bright white. He slammed them into the Rock and Dark-Type's chest again, cracking the armor further.

"And Ash Ketchum is seemingly starting to wear Tyranitar down!" the MC cried.

"Noctowl, use Steel wing again!" Ash ordered. Noctowl made another pass, wing bright.

"Oh no you don't, Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Noctowl took notice that if he attacked Tyranitar's chest again, he was going to be hit by the Stone Edge attack, so he changed his target. He dodged the Stone Edge as it was fired and slammed his Steel Wing into Tyranitar's neck, cracking the armor there as well and causing Tyranitar to stumble back. "Hyper Beam!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar quickly charged the Hyper Beam, much to Noctowl's surprise.

The Normal and Flying Type knew immediately there was no way he could dodge that Hyper Beam at such a close range, so, he chose to give Ash one final advantage to ensure that his last Pokémon could beat Tyranitar. He flew towards Tyranitar and slammed another Steel Wing into his chest, but he didn't fly away. Noctowl braced himself as Tyranitar aimed downwards and fired the Hyper Beam. The attack knocked Noctowl out instantly, but the resulting explosion did what Noctowl knew it would do: Tyranitar's armor took severe damage.

"Wow, what an attack! Now Ash Ketchum is down to his final Pokémon!" the MC cried.

"Noctowl is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called. Ash returned the fallen Owl Pokémon, wondering why he had attacked Tyranitar like that without a prior command.

"_Ash, Noctowl wanted to weaken Tyranitar s__everely, that's why he chose to take that Hyper Beam, and he just did, look_," Latias told him. Ash noticed that Tyranitar's neck and chest were severely cracked, and that the Armor Pokémon was panting heavily.

Ash grabbed his final Pokeball. "Larvitar, I choose you!" Ash shouted, sending the small Rock and Ground-Type to the battlefield.

Larvitar's jaw dropped when he saw his opponent. It didn't bring him good memories, but he pushed all of this back. "Ready to fight, daddy!" Larvitar said. The Rock and Ground-Type's icon appeared in Ash's final slot.

"And Larvitar is Ash's final Pokémon!" the MC cried. "Maybe, due to the damage Latios took from the prior battle, Ash has decided to keep him out of this battle. That sure is noble of him!" the MC remarked. Some people in the stand groaned in disappointment. They had wanted to see Latios again. Others were impressed that Ash was willing to give his strongest Pokémon a rest, despite the importance of the battle.

Tyranitar laughed. "You have got to be kidding me. Well, this should be a quick win."

Larivitar did one of his I-don't-care-about-a-thing looks, ignoring the Tyranitar's comment. The Armor Pokémon growled. Tyranitar growled. "Damn kid, I'm so gonna beat you up." Larvitar looked at him, his face almost emotionless. _'Damn, the kid's tough…_' the Tyranitar admitted. Larvitar chuckled, he knew that this particular attitude of his was good at unnerving people.

"Brings back memories…" Jon commented nostalgically. He remembered when he had first caught his Larvitar and raised him to his current state. "Rock Tomb!" Jon shouted.

"Larvitar, dodge!" Ash shouted. Larvitar easily sensed, through ground vibrations, where each stone pillar would emerge from, he ran to the side, dodging the stone prison.

"Tyranitar, use Earthquake!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar slammed a fist to the ground, creating a powerful tremor. Larvitar cried as the super-effective attack hit him. He lost his footing and fell, as did Ash, Jon, and the Referee. "Now, Dark Pulse!" Jon ordered as he stood up.

Larvitar didn't get up in time. He shrieked as he was hit by the ringed Dark-Type beam. The attack exploded, blocking everyone's view. "Larvitar!" Ash shouted. He closed his eyes, sensing that, while a bit tattered and disorientated, Larvitar had survived the blow. "Larvitar, use Dig then Rock Smash!" Ash shouted. Larvitar quickly took a small dive towards the earth, and when the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be seen, nothing but a small hole in the scorched ground.

'_So, he did manage to survive the attack…'_ Jon thought. "Finish this with Earthquake!" Tyranitar slammed a fist to the ground, creating a powerful tremor, causing the tunnel Larvitar was digging to collapse and inflicting a lot of damage. Jon smirked. _'That should do the trick…'_ "Seems like I've won," he commented with a smirk.

Ash's eyes widened. "No…" Suddenly, the ground in front of Tyranitar cracked. Everyone was shocked to see the ground burst open as Larvitar emerged with a powerful leap, jumping towards Tyranitar's face, his fist shining a bright white from a Rock Smash attack.

Tyranitar and Jon's eyes widened in surprise. With a mighty cry, Larvitar hit Tyranitar with an uppercut using his Rock Smash, hitting him where his neck armor was cracked. The armor gave in and was destroyed completely, revealing the tender flesh underneath. Tyranitar howled in pain as he staggered back a few steps. The Rock Smash was quadruple effective, and the Dig attack was super effective, so the total damage was huge. However, Larvitar was not done. As he landed, he ran forward, taking another impressive leap and slamming another Rock Smash into Tyranitar's chest, destroying his prized armor completely.

With a deafening screech of pain, Tyranitar fainted, landing face down, eyes turned to swirls. The entire stadium burst into impressed cheers. A Larvitar had defeated a Tyranitar! "Tyranitar is unable to continue battling!" the Referee announced.

"Impressive! Ash's Larvitar has defeated Jon's Tyranitar!" the MC cried. Larvitar landed and panted in tiredness, barely managing to stand up. The few attacks Tyranitar had landed on him had caused a lot of damage. "Now, both trainers are down to their last Pokémon!"

"Congratulations kiddo!" Pikachu shouted. "Nice job!"

"_Way to go!__ You were awesome!"_ Latias complimented, sending Larvitar a mental cheer.

"_Congratulation!"_ Latios commented as well.

"Yeah, great work Larvitar!" Ash shouted. Ash's friends from the bench shouted similar words of encouragement and congratulation for the small Rock and Ground-Type. Larvitar blushed from the attention and smiled happily.

Jon returned the fallen Tyranitar. He was impressed that he had been defeated. He wasn't worrying about the armor; Tyranitars could re-grow it rather fast. He grabbed his next and last Pokeball. "Togetic, I choose you!" Jon shouted, summoning the small Happiness Pokémon.

"Larvitar get ready!" Ash shouted. Larvitar nodded, despite the tiredness. "Use Rock tomb!" Larvitar slammed his fist into the ground, causing four pillars to erupt from the ground, threatening to trap Togetic. "Now, Rock Smash!"

"Togetic, blast them apart with Psychic!" Jon ordered. Togetic emitted a powerful psychic blast, ripping the stones in half and sending them away. Suddenly, Larvitar was a few feet away from Togetic, his fist shining white as he prepared to punch her. "Togetic, push him away with Shadow Ball!" Jon ordered. Togetic quickly formed a Shadow Ball between her arms.

"Don't you know you shouldn't hit a girl!" she reprimanded. With one of her arms, she grabbed Larvitar's hand and spun, causing him to pass beside her. As this was happening, she slammed the Shadow Ball into Larvitar. He cried in pain as he was struck by the attack and sent flying backwards after a small explosion.

"And with a great maneuver, Togetic sends Larvitar away!" the MC commented.

"Larvitar!" Ash cried in concern. "Use Hidden Power!" Larvitar summoned the last of his strength as he glowed a bright white. Several energy spheres materialized.

"Togetic, Silver Wind!" Jon shouted. Togetic flapped her wings, creating a silver-tinted wind along with several crescent blades, sending them towards Larvitar.

The attacks passed each other. The spheres collided with Togetic and the Silver Wind hit Larvitar head on. Both Pokémon were pushed back a few feet after suffering the after effects of the attacks, they panted and looked at each other. With a last breath, Larvitar fell, knocked out. Larvitar was too weak and tired to survive the blow, while Togetic was still fresh and rested enough to take the attack and survive.

The Referee nodded. "Larvitar is unable to continue battling. The victory goes to Jon Dickson of Sento Cheery Town!"

"YEAH!" Jon shouted excitedly, raising his arms as the crowd cheered. Togetic flew over to her cheering trainer and was surprised when he hugged her. She returned the show of affection.

"And finally! Someone was able to stop the impressive trainer Ash Ketchum! Though I am sure we all agree on one thing, this battle might had gone differently if Ash had been able to use his prized Legendary Pokémon: Latios," the MC said over the speakers. Several fangirls in the crowd were crying like there was no tomorrow (Macey included). Also, Professor Elm was cheering that one of his trainers was making it to the finals, while Professor Oak and Gary tried to console Delia, who was crying at Ash's elimination.

Ash sighed sadly. He grabbed a Pokeball and returned the defeated Rock and Ground Type. "You were amazing, you battled great and I am proud of you…" Ash whispered to the Pokeball.

Pikachu patted Ash on the back. "Lost again… maybe next time… right?"

"I hope," Ash muttered.

Jon walked up to him. Togetic left his arm and rested on top of his head, like a Togetic hat. Jon held out his hand. Ash caught the gesture and shook hands with his opponent. "You battled amazingly, you were a very strong opponent, and you certainly had all the qualifications to win this league. I wish you the best of luck on your next Pokémon League," Jon said.

Ash nodded. "Thanks a lot, I wish you luck in the finals."

"Thanks," Jon replied. The crowd cheered, pleased by this sportsmanship between opponents.

Ash turned and rejoined his friends as he walked to the exit of the stadium. "Too bad Ash, you battled so hard…" Misty lamented.

"Yeah, you were close to defeating that Jon guy," Bianca agreed.

"_Not to mention that Ash had Jon on the edge as Charizard beat __almost everything Jon threw at him," _Latias commented.

Ash sighed. "But…I was so close…I even had Latios to help me in earlier battles…and I still lost…"

Brock smiled sadly and put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "You know Ash, you already reprimand people for focusing on your losses instead of your victories. You should do the same. Look at the bright side of all this, you defeated Gary, a stronger trainer like Harrison, and even came close to making it to the finals."

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

"Also," Brock continued. "Remember that you broke a world record."

Ash looked up. "I did?"

"Yeah, you're the youngest trainer ever to make it to the top four of any league," Brock reminded him.

"Yep," Bianca agreed.

Brock smiled. "And keep something else in mind Ash. Yes, you lost, but this _isn't_ your last Pokémon league. You still lack the experience to really win a League, experience that we all hope you have gained today. Also, keep in mind that Latios isn't on a fully competitive level yet, he just started battling almost two months ago," Brock reminded him.

"Yes, when Latios is fully trained, he'll be a lot stronger than he is now, and with you having a lot more experienced, you'll have a better chance of wining the next league you face," Misty pointed out.

Ash smiled fondly at his friends. "Thanks a lot."

"_See Ash, don't feel bad, __so cheer up!"_ Latias said.

Ash smiled, glad that he was being supported so much by his friends at this hard time. But hey, that's what friends were for, right?

* * *

The rest of the day was quiet. Ash wasn't very talkative, which was to be expected. After a trip to the Pokémon Center, the group decided to enjoy what Silver Town had to offer. For now they would stay in town until the end of the Conference so they could see the Award Ceremony.

Night fell, and the group was sleeping soundly at their hotel room, everyone except Ash. He was simply looking at the ceiling, thinking of what he could have done better to win, but that wasn't really going to change anything. He decided that he needed some time to relax. He decided to walk over to his favorite place in all of Silver Town, the lake. He stood up and very quietly walked to the door, and as quietly as he could, he left the hotel. After a few minutes, he was at the lake. He smiled fondly at the beautiful night scene as he took a seat at the edge of the lake, enjoying the cool night air.

'_I wish I could have won…'_ Ash lamented sadly. Brock's words were still vivid in his mind. He was happy for them, that meant that he, a former Gym leader, considered him a serious candidate to win the next League he was going to participate in…

But that didn't mean he didn't still wish he could have won _this_ League.

"Hi!" a voice said behind Ash. The cap-wearing trainer nearly jumped out of his skin in fright.

"Latias!" Ash hissed. "Don't do that!"

Latias giggled. "Why were you scared if you can sense me?"

There was a moment of awkward silence. "Ugh…" Ash muttered.

Latias smiled and rested herself beside him. "Can't sleep?" she asked. "It's almost midnight."

"It's just… I'm still a bit shaken up after my defeat…" Ash muttered, a sigh escaping him.

Latias smiled tenderly at him and gave him a hug. "It's okay. Defeat must be very hard to deal with, but remember what Brock said, you still have more leagues left to win."

"Yeah…" Ash agreed.

"Didn't you and Brock decide that after the Johto league was over, you were going to start gathering badges to compete in the Hoenn League, especially after seeing the Pokémon Harrison had?" Latias asked.

"Yes," Ash replied.

"Then your next goal will be to win the Hoenn League!" Latias said cheerfully. "Besides, my brother was sad too with your defeat. He partially blames himself for it, so that will just motivate him more to become stronger, as he gets stronger, he will be a better battler and he will give you a better chance to win the Hoenn League!"

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

"Ash, you are still eleven, barely twelve, and yet look how far you've come. You're in the top four of the Silver Conference! Next time, I'm sure you'll do better! You still have a long way to go," Latias pointed out.

Ash smiled. "Thanks a lot, Latias."

"So cheer up and stop acting all depressed, you know I hate seeing people sad," Latias told him.

Ash nodded. "I will," he replied. Latias smiled and nuzzled him affectionately. Ash hugged her, running his hands across her long and slender neck, loving the feel of her small and fine feathers. Ash accidently brushed against his necklace. He smiled as he parted from the hug and looked at the necklace. He grabbed it and looked at it fondly, fingering the little crystal figurines of Latias and Latios. "You know Latias, this necklace is very special to me. It reminds me of the bond I share with you and Latios, especially after the soul fusion to save Latios' life."

Latias smiled. "I know, you haven't taken it off ever since I gave it to you."

"It was a very special thank-you gift…" Ash muttered. "Latias, thanks a lot for cheering me up, I'll look ahead instead of looking back." He gently stroked Latias' long feathery neck, she gave a small squeal of delight. Ash smiled. He looked at this necklace and remembered both thank-you gifts she had given him that day. Ash surprised Latias by giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thanks you for always being there for me." Latias blushed a deep shade of scarlet. He smiled innocently at her. "Guess I returned that thank-you kiss you gave me in Altomare." He yawned. "Well, I guess that I can finally sleep now. Thanks a lot for the talk Latias, it made me feel a lot better." With that, Ash stood up and walked back to the hotel.

Latias just floated there, a little stunned. She smiled and began doing small excited twirls in the air, feeling incredibly happy.

Meanwhile, on the balcony of their suite, Latios watched the scene with interest. He was a bit surprised, but either way, he enjoyed seeing Latias flying about happily. That was what made him the happiest brother in the world, simply seeing her happy. He chuckled as he turned around and headed back inside to sleep, Ash could return anytime now and he didn't want him to know that he'd seen their little 'moment.'

* * *

The next day…

While today was one of the two rest days to let the two finalists get ready for the grand final of the Silver Conference, a special guest was flying to Silver Town as his presence was required for the aforementioned event. He was Lance, champion of the Johto League, riding on his trusty Dragonite. As the champion, it was proper that he be present at the award ceremony to coronate the winner of the Conference, as well as to ask him if he was willing to take on the Challenge of claiming Lance's title as champion, which consisted of fighting the Elite Four and the Champion consecutively, five battles in five days, with a single loss meaning the challenger had no chance whatsoever of winning the title.

"We're almost there Dragonite, just a little more," Lance said, spotting Mt. Silver in the distance.

"It's been a while since I've flown this much," the Dragonite commented.

"Well, I haven't had the need to travel much until now," Lance replied. As a master Dragon trainer, Lance had the unique skill of understanding the Poke-speech of all Dragon and Dragon-like Pokémon, a very useful ability.

"You seem very eager to get to Silver Town master, may I ask why?" the Dragonite inquired. He had noted that throughout the trip, Lance had been rather impatient to reach Silver Town, a lot more than he had for the previous Silver Conferences.

"There is someone I am dying to see again," Lance answered. "Remember Ash?"

"The kid with the Pikachu we saw at the Lake with the red Gyarados?" the Dragonite asked.

"Yes," Lance confirmed. "He has done something that's left me speechless."

"What is that?" Dragonite asked, clearly confused.

"He captured a Legendary Pokémon, but not just any legendary, but a legendary _Dragon_ Pokémon," Lance answered.

Dragonite raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Which one?"

"A Latios," Lance answered. "The events regarding Latios' capture are unknown, as Ash has apparently evaded the media for the entire conference. How he's eluded them is also unknown."

"A kid captured a Latios? That's odd," the Dragonite commented.

"But… how? I am a master Dragon trainer and I have never even seen a Legendary Dragon, yet some kid appears out of nowhere using a Latios freely in a tournament! Yet, that Latios is still in training, at least from what I saw in the battles he was used in he is," Lance said, clenching a fist angrily. "It should be me who's training a Legendary Dragon."

"It'd be cool to have a Latios on the team," Dragonite admitted.

"I'm sure we can convince Ash to leave Latios to a more experienced and adequate trainer," Lance commented, chuckling. "Like me. I am a master dragon trainer, after all."

"What if he disagrees?" Dragonite asked.

"We'll have to do it the hard way then," Lance said off-handedly.

Dragonite frowned. "Isn't this a bit…unfair?"

"No, Latios deserves a better trainer. He will become my Pokémon!" Lance decided, more determined than ever to add a new dragon to his team…no matter what the cost.

* * *

And Chapter 21 has ended! I hope you all like it, and, again I apologize for the delay.

Anyway, I hope that with this chapter the question you have all been probably wondering has been answered. YES. I will write the Hoenn Region. I have many plans for it actually. So, don't worry, this story will still go for a good long way. So Yay! There will be Hoenn Region for all of you.

Also, I made a joint account with two of my friends, Shakari and Lady Venamisa, both are on my fav authors list, its called venakari, if we make co-writes, they will be posted there, actually, Lady Venamisa and Shakari was working on a nice fanfic called Shades of Grey, its on venakari, check it out!

Also, the blind Poll I made about the shippings with Ash has been made visible, so, go there and see the results so far! And those who haven't voted, go and leave a vote (Or 5)! The Poll will remain open for at least the rest of November, and After that maybe start a new one with a Topic just as interesting.

And Finally, don't forget to tell me what you think in a **REVIEW! ***Happy Dance* =D


	22. The Silver Conference Ends

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: Here I am with chapter 22! Well, this chapter concludes the Silver Conference arc. How was the arc overall? I hope you all liked it a lot.

* * *

Lance smirked as he neared Silver Town, looking at the settlement from high above the clouds as he soared on the back of his signature Dragonite. "There's Silver Town, still as nice a town as ever," he commented

"Indeed," Dragonite agreed. "So, where to?"

"Let's go to the Elite Four building. I want to see which of the Johto Elite Four have come to Silver Town. After all, the Award Ceremony is the day after tomorrow, along with the grand final of the Silver Conference," Lance answered. Dragonite nodded and sped towards the building.

"Too bad the kid with the Latios lost… I would have liked to see him make it to the finals," Dragonite commented. "But… if he lost, that means someone defeated Latios. Who did it?"

"No one. You see, Ash didn't use him in the Semifinals because Latios had sustained some injuries in the previous battle," Lance answered.

"That was noble of him," Dragonite admitted.

"Yeah, and when I'm training that Latios, I will become the strongest champion, and Latios will be one of the strongest Dragons of the world," Lance said determinedly.

Dragonite sighed. "Are we really going to do this?" the Dragon asked, doubt filling his voice.

"Yes," Lance said firmly. "Why the sad tone?"

"I don't know, this doesn't feel right. I mean, that kid got his merit for capturing Latios, and we're going to try and take him away?" Dragonite replied.

Lance winced slightly, feeling a pang of guilt. He quickly ignored it. "I know it's a bit extreme, but it's for the best. What's better than having a Latios trained properly? Besides, you know how long I've searched for Legendary Dragon Pokémon, and yet I haven't found one, until now," Lance replied. "Can I count on you?"

Dragonite sighed, feeling torn on what to do. He knew it was common sense that they were about to do something bad, but Lance had been his best friend ever since he was a baby Dratini. "Alright, I'll help," he said reluctantly. He was confused about Lance's behavior; it was so… uncharacteristic of him, so out of character. _'Must be a severe case of human stupidity then.'_

"Thanks for helping me," Lance said, smiling down at his Dragonite.

"Even if he isn't fully trained, keep in mind what we're going to attack," Dragonite warned. A Latios was always a formidable opponent.

Lance nodded. "I know."

"So, how are we going to find him?" Dragonite asked. Looking for just one trainer in all of Silver Town was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"I want to see if Will has arrived at the Elite Four headquarters. If he's there, I'll ask him to find Latios for us. Since Latios is a powerful Psychic, he or one of his Pokémon should be able to find him easily," Lance answered.

"He isn't going to help us with this," Dragonite said flatly.

"He doesn't need to know. I'll tell him I want to congratulate that trainer or something. I'll improvise," Lance said quickly.

Dragonite sweatdropped. _'We are so screwed,_' the Dragon thought as he neared their target. _'Messing with Legendary Pokémon is never a good idea.'_

_

* * *

_

"Ah, that was so good!" Ash said as he exited the most luxurious restaurant in town, his belly filled with some of the best food available.

"Ohhh yeah! I've never eaten in such a good restaurant before," Misty agreed.

"Maybe because we never have money, and when we do, it's in near-negative numbers," Brock said. "But today's meal was…unforgettable."

"Yeah," Bianca agreed.

"_It was good,"_ Latios admitted.

"_And the deserts bar was delicious!"_ Latias said joyfully.

"Oh, so good, but my cooking is better," Delia said.

After wandering around enjoying Silver Town for a while, Ash had begun complaining that he was hungry and the group began to look for a nice place to eat. Keeping in mind how much they could afford, when they passed the fanciest restaurant in town, they didn't even bother to spare a look as they knew that they couldn't afford the food there. But when Ash complained about how hungry was, the owner, who had been standing at the door, heard him and was immediately excited about seeing Ash, know popularly as 'the boy with the Legendary Pokémon', so they made a deal: if Ash showed him Latios, they could eat for free. Latios was reluctant at first, but he was convinced rather quickly after he saw the kind of food they served there.

"So, where to now?" Bianca asked, looking around.

"How about we go shopping? We just saved a lot by eating for free," Misty suggested.

"Yeah, I agree," Delia said eagerly.

'_Why do girls like to go shopping a lot? It's even weirder when they go shopping for hours and they don't buy a thing…' _Ash thought, knowing that his question was going to be picked up by either of the Eon twins.

"_Honestly… I don't know,"_ Latios replied.

"_It's a girl thing, guys will never understand,"_ Latias said coolly. Ash and Latios shrugged.

"Want to come with us Latias?" Bianca asked kindly.

"_No, I'd like to stay with Ash for now,"_ Latias replied, gently tapping Bianca's shoulder.

"Alright," Bianca said. As she turned to where she felt the tap, she reached forwards and smiled as she felt Latias' soft feathers.

"Let's go then. Later, honey!" Delia said as she, Misty, and Bianca started to walk towards the shopping district.

"I'll go with them," Brock said quickly, walking after them.

Ash looked at his departing friend with confusion. "What was that about?"

"_He's going because he thinks they'll see lots of girls, and he would be away from me,"_ Latias answered.

"Shouldn't you keep an eye on him?" Pikachu asked.

"_Nah, Misty can handle him pretty well on her own,"_ Latias answered, giggling softly.

"_So, what are we going to do?"_ Latios asked.

"Well," Ash started. "We could go to the lake to pass the time. Besides, I want to spend time with my Pokémon."

"_Not the lake! It's a rest day, many people are having picnics there, or taking a swim,"_ Latios reminded him.

Ash sighed. "Awww, too bad."

"_We could go the forest_," Latias suggested. _"It's a nice place. We could find a clearing, one that's closer than the one we used to train."_

"Sure," Ash said as he began walking towards the forest. He was sure his Pokémon would enjoy some nature without the pressure of training.

After a few minutes of walking Ash arrived at a small and decent clearing. He smiled at the sight. "This will do," Pikachu commented. Ash nodded and tossed four Pokeballs, releasing the team he was going to have for the next few days. He had decided to switch after the battle against Jon after healing his Pokémon.

Bayleef, Larvitar, Phanpy and Charizard appeared in bright flashes as they materialized into the small clearing. Latias and Latios dropped their invisibility, appearing in a bright display of blue lights. "Ash!" Bayleef squealed as she tackled him, nuzzling him lovingly. "I missed you!"

Ash laughed as he was knocked to the ground, taking it in good stride as he usually did. He hugged her back. "Hi Bayleef!"

"There she goes again," Charizard muttered. He shrugged and stretched, enjoying his time out of a Pokeball. "Hey, did we win?" he asked.

Larvitar cast a downwards look. "No… we lost. I was knocked out last…"

"Damn, not again," Charizard grumbled.

"At least this time it wasn't because someone played lazy. We lost in a fair battle," Pikachu commented dryly. Charizard looked around like he wasn't mentioned. Pikachu rolled his eyes.

"And I worked so hard to try to knock out that Tyranitar," Charizard muttered. Larvitar winced.

Ash smiled as he gently pushed Bayleef aside and patted Larvitar on the head. "Its okay, you did your best, and I'm proud of you," Ash said gently.

Larvitar smiled and jumped into Ash's arms, hugging him. Thankfully, Latias reacted in time to prevent Ash from getting the wind knocked out of him by the heavy infant. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Yeah, you did manage to beat that Tyranitar after all," Ash congratulated. Charizard's jaw dropped in awe. Latias and Latios laughed.

"Yeah, it was amazing," Bayleef agreed.

They stared at her. "Uh, you didn't fight… how did you see it?" Pikachu asked.

"Tracey was kind enough to let us into the lab and watch the battle with the rest of Pallet Town," Bayleef answered. "And by 'kind enough,' I mean that Bulbasaur and I hung him upside-down with our Vine Whip until he got the message." Everyone sweatdropped.

"So, after this, what are we going to do?" Larvitar asked curiously.

"We're going to go to the Hoenn Region to gather the badges and compete for the League there," Ash answered.

"And search for the poacher that has your mother," Latios continued. Larvitar smiled happily. Latios grinned viciously. "I am _eager _to meet him."

"Latios! What did I tell you about you harming others like that!" Ash shouted, rather annoyed. He could still remember Latios mind-crushing the three Poachers as they screamed in pain from his mental assault…it hadn't been a pretty sight.

"They deserved it! And this other poacher deserves it too," Latios countered. _'If it weren't for your kindness, I would have killed them…'_ Latios thought.

"You might be right," Ash admitted. "But…hurting someone that way…it's simply not right, I forbid you to do that again." Latios sighed but made no response.

"I just want my mother to be rescued," Larvitar interrupted.

"Don't worry sweetie, we'll get her back," Latias said gently, giving him a smile. "That poacher is in for some serious trouble."

"Yup!" Phanpy said merrily.

Larvitar smiled fondly at his 'family'. "Thank you all."

"Hoenn sounds like a good place. Wish I could go," Charizard lamented. "Lots of strong opponents."

"Yeah, how's the training at the valley?" Bayleef asked curiously. "I remember the first day when we left you there the other Charizards bullied you around." Everyone laughed. Charizard fumed.

"Hey, how strong are you there?" Ash asked.

"Well, you could say I'm at the middle of the pack. I'm not the strongest Charizard, nor am I the weakest. There are some Charizards I can beat easily, and others that can beat me easily," Charizard answered. "I can't wait to show off my new Overheat attack!"

"Remember the attack gets weaker every time it's used, so be careful," Pikachu reminded him.

Charizard nodded. "I know."

"So, when are you going back to the Valley?" Ash asked.

"In a few days. It's a bit of a long flight, and I want to be fully rested. I'm still a bit tired from yesterday's battle, it was damn tough, and I think my right wing is still a bit sore," Charizard answered, folding and extending his wing a few times, wincing a little. _'Damn Stone Edge.'_

"I thought the Pokémon Center could fix that," Ash commented, confused.

"Well, while they can heal most injuries and some partial tiredness, they can't completely heal exhaustion. Why do you think there are rest days between battles? Its not just so the trainers can plan, it's also so the Pokémon can get a bit more rest," Latias clarified for him. "Besides, Charizard overexerted himself a lot in that battle, so his wing is recovering from that too."

"And we spend most of the rest time training," Pikachu commented dryly.

"The training was nothing compared to the intense battles, except for Steel Wing training…" Latios continued.

"Or Iron Tail training," Pikachu deadpanned. Latias giggled happily as she recalled their training, and how she'd made sure they didn't slack off.

"Yeah," Charizard agreed. "I wonder how the valley has been."

Ash chuckled. "Aren't we eager to get back?"

"Of course I am," Charizard answered. "I wonder how Charla is."

"Who's Charla?" Latias asked.

"She's the Charizard of the human that runs the valley. She's also my mate," Charizard said.

"Wow, got yourself a girlfriend! Nice," Pikachu commented.

"Wow, that was fast," Bayleef said.

"What's a mate?" Ash asked, confused.

"Yeah, what's that?" Phanpy asked as well.

"I want to know too," Larvitar added. Everyone else sweatdropped.

Latios decided to be the one to explain it this time. "Well, remember the concept of girlfriend and boyfriend that Latias told you about?" Latios asked. Ash nodded. "In human relationships, that is what a couple goes by depending on gender. However, in relationships between Pokémon, it's simply called 'mates.' it applies to both genders," Latios explained. "Some Pokémon use the girlfriend and boyfriend terms, but, it's usually those that are very close to humans, like trained Pokémon. Those two words are unknown among wild Pokémon."

"Charizard is a trained Pokémon, why didn't he use it?" Ash asked.

"He's been living among other Charizards for a while now. He might have forgotten it," Latias suggested. Charizard nodded Mareepishly. "And he said some, not all," Latias continued.

Larvitar raised his hand. "Yes?" Latias asked.

"What's a girlfriend?" the small Rock and Ground-Type asked, looking confused.

"I didn't get what mate is…and what's a boyfriend?" Phanpy asked.

Latias smiled at them. "You two…will understand when you are older…"

Both Ground-Types groaned. Everyone else laughed. As they regained their breaths, Latias and Latios turned to look in the direction of Silver Town. "Something is coming," Latios muttered. "Hide." Latias immediately activated her light-refracting feathers, assuming complete invisibility. Latios followed suit, both turning invisible to the naked eye. Out of precaution, Ash grabbed three Pokeballs and returned Bayleef, Larvitar and Phanpy.

They saw a dragon shaped-silhouette in the sky, approaching rather quickly. Up in the sky, Lance smirked. _'I found you.'_

'_How I wish Will hadn't been at the Elite Four building,'_ Dragonite thought. He saw the boy down in the forest clearing._ 'Where is his Latios? Hm, Probably invisible…' _

With a flap of his wings, Dragonite landed a few dozen meters away from the boy. Lance jumped off. Latias tilted her head. _"Isn't that Lance, the Champion of Johto?"_ She wondered.

"Yes," Latios answered. Subtly, Latios read Lance's mind. He was curious as to why the Champion would be coming to meet them. His eyes narrowed and he tensed for a fight when he learned of Lance's most recent memories. _'Let him try…'_

Latias looked at her brother, wondering why he was so tense. _"What's up?"_

"_Read his mind and find out for yourself,"_ Latios answered.

"_Isn't that rude?"_ Latias replied.

"_Just do it,"_ Latios said in a firm tone. Latias shrugged and read Lance's mind as the Champion walked to them, his Dragonite behind him. She growled lowly. _"Charizard,"_ Latios said in the Fire-Type's mind, startling him. _"Get ready for a fight. Lance has come here to try and take me from Ash_." Charizard nodded silently. _"Sister, don't reveal yourself, he doesn't know Ash has a Latias too," _Latios commanded. Latias nodded.

Unaware of the rising tension of the Eon twins, Ash walked up to Lance, smiling. "Hey, Lance!"

"Hello Ash," Lance returned the greeting.

"How have you been, and how's the Red Gyarados?" Ash asked, remembering the last time he had seen Lance at the Lake of Rage.

"He's fine, he's been slowly becoming calmer," Lance answered. "And as for you…congratulations on reaching the Top Four of the Silver Conference, it was amazing!"

Ash smiled. "Thanks!"

"And I congratulate you on your catch of a Latios," Lance said, though it sounded a little forced.

Ash beamed. "Thanks! Clair was impressed too. She's your cousin, right?"

"Yeah. You used Latios to beat her, too?" Lance inquired.

"Well, only her Dragonair," Ash answered.

"You know," Lance started. "I took a great deal of interest in your battles after you beat the first trainer with Latios, the one you battled on the ice field. Latios is certainly an interesting Pokémon. How did you catch him?"

"Well, I became his friend, and after we became close, he decided that he wanted to come with me," Ash answered. "I caught him with friendship, not with a battle."

"Wow! You know, he seemed to lack a bit of skill in his battles…" Lance commented.

Ash chuckled Mareepishly. "Well, that's because he just learned to battle about two months ago, he just started his training."

Latios mentally chuckled. '_Try to sweet-talk him into handing me over willingly… it won't work,'_ the blue Eon dragon thought coldly.

"Tell me, would you be interested in him becoming an extremely Powerful Dragon?" Lance inquired, oddly eager.

"Yes, of course," Ash replied, wondering what Lance was getting at, something seemed suspicious…for some reason, he could pick up some weird vibes from Lance and his Dragonite.

Lance smiled. "Then would you like me to take care of him for you? I promise I'll turn him into an amazingly powerful Pokémon."

Ash shook his head. "I'm sorry, but he's my friend and I want to be the one to train him. And besides, I already consider him a powerful Pokémon as he is. Latios doesn't need your help."

Latios nodded in agreement. _"You tell him Ash!" _

Lance bristled. "Think what you are saying. Don't you want Latios to receive special training?"

Ash shook his head again. "No."

Lance sighed. "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this… sorry Ash, but Latios _will _have a new trainer."

Ash looked at Lance, utterly confused. "What do you mean?"

"_Ash! He is planning to take me away forcefully!"_ Latios explained to Ash.

Ash gasped and looked at Lance in shock. "You aren't taking Latios away! How can you even think that!"

Lance's eyes widened slightly. _'He figured it out without me telling him! It must have been Latios…'_ Lance thought.

Latias bristled_. "Ash, be careful, if he indeed fights us, his Dragonite is a very powerful Pokémon. He has vast experience and has fought many opponents. Remember that Latios might still be a little delicate from his injury. After all, today is still a borderline day for his recovery according to Nurse Joy, and Charizard is still tired from his overexertion in the past battle!"_ Latias informed Ash, clearly alarmed.

'_Damn, I'm not in the best position to fight him,'_ Ash thought. _'Even if they aren't in their top form, they can still fight. Why would Lance do this? This isn't the Lance I remember…'_

"_He isn't thinking clearly, he's jealous of you Ash,"_ Latias told him, sensing Lance's emotions. _"He is outraged at the fact that you have my brother, yet he hasn't caught a Legendary Pokémon, more specifically, a Dragon-Type."_

Lance sighed and began walking backwards. Dragonite stayed where he was, facing Ash, empathy in his eyes. Latios tilted his head. _'Interesting,' _he thought, seeing Dragonite's torn expression. He quickly read Dragonite's most recent memories and grinned, seeing an opportunity. With a shower of bright blue lights, Latios revealed himself. Lance's eyes widened in awe at finally seeing for the first time in his life a Legendary Dragon-Type Pokémon. Dragonite started, amazed by Latios' sudden appearance.

"You are conscious that your trainer's actions aren't the correct ones," Latios stated calmly.

Dragonite's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

"I read your mind. You don't have to follow your trainer's orders if you believe they are wrong," Latios told the other Dragon-Type. "If my trainer did something that was wrong, I would personally knock some sense into him."

Dragonite cast a downwards look. Lance growled lowly. "Don't listen to him!"

Latios glared at Lance, causing the human to stiffen slightly in fright. "Shut up! Think of your actions! You are supposed to be a Champion, yet look what you're contemplating to do out of something as stupid as jealousy!"

Due to Lance's ability to understand Dragon Pokémon, he comprehended Latios' words perfectly. "I'm not jealous!" Lance countered, clearly angered.

"Then what is it? If it's not that, then it must be human stupidity," Latios said, chuckling a little.

A vein appeared on Lance's forehead out of anger._ 'Hehe, just what I was thinking too…'_ Dragonite thought.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'Human stupidity'?" Ash yelled. The eon dragon ignored him, much to his irritation.

"Think about it Latios!" Lance shouted. "I can train you to be an extremely powerful Dragon; I can train you far better than Ash can!"

Latios chuckled. "I know."

Lance smiled. "Then will you come with me willingly?"

"Never," Latios said firmly, not a single doubt in his voice.

"Why?" Lance questioned, looking surprised.

"I don't care if you can train me better than Ash, I'm perfectly happy with my current trainer, Ash is my friend and I won't leave him just to become stronger. Besides, I'll eventually become as strong as you claim, Lance. With Ash it might take a while longer than it would with you, but I don't care," Latios answered. Ash smiled at Latios, touched.

"Then I will have to knock you out and force Ash to release you. Dragonite, get ready!" Lance ordered. Dragonite reluctantly readied himself for a battle. "I'll show you what a Dragon trained by me can do, I'll beat everything you throw at me with just Dragonite!"

"Dragonite don't!" Latios said firmly, hoping that his status as a Legendary Pokémon might intimidate the Dragon and Flying-Type to standing down.

"I'm sorry Latios…but just like you choose to stay with your trainer out of friendship, I am in the same position. I will follow Lance's orders. He is my friend," Dragonite said reluctantly.

Latios sighed. "I understand…"

"Guess we'll have to fight him, then…" Pikachu commented. "Damn…"

"Looks like it," Ash agreed. "Charizard! Latios! Pikachu! Get Ready!"

"Dragonite, Dragon Claw!" Lance shouted. Dragonite nodded and with a mighty flap of his wings he charged at the eon dragon, his claws shining a bright white as he powered up the attack.

"Latios, dodge!" Ash shouted. Latios quickly altered his levitation, causing him to move sideways out of the way of the Dragon Claw…setting Dragonite up for Pikachu and Charizard's attack. "Use Flamethrower and Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder as his cheeks sparkled violently. Charizard exhaled a potent stream of fire as Pikachu released a tremendous blast of electricity.

"Dragonite, fly up!" Lance shouted. Dragonite quickly flapped his wings, rocketing skywards.

'_Ice Beam!'_ Ash thought, not calling the attack out loud so Lance didn't know it was coming. To Dragonite's utter shock, Latios was already above him. He formed an orb of freezing energy as he fired the three-pronged zigzagging beam of ice downwards.

"Dragonite, Fire Blast!" Lance shouted.

Ash smirked. "Oh no you don't! Psychic!"

Latios' eyes glowed as he got ready to use his mental powers. Dragonite took a deep breath and exhaled an extremely potent star-shaped plume of fire. The fire was immediately extinguished as Latios' Psychic attack cut the oxygen needed to power the flames.

Lance's eyes widened in alarm. "Whirlwind!" he shouted. Dragonite flapped his wings with astounding force, creating a tornado in front of him barely in time as the Ice Beam reached him. The Ice-Type attack was dissipated by the raging winds of the Dragon and Flying-Type's attack.

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard, who was now flying behind Dragonite, released a stream of fire.

"Dodge!" Lance shouted. He had to admit, Ash was a lot better than he had expected. Dragonite flew downwards, causing the Flamethrower to fly overhead. "Use Dragon Pulse!" Dragonite took a deep breath and formed an orb of green energy in front of his mouth.

"What's that!" Ash wondered.

"_It's a more advanced Dragon-type move. Be wary, it's very powerful,"_ Latias answered.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted. Dragonite fired the orb skywards, aiming at Latios. The Eon dragon quickly dodged to the side, evading the attack. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Charizard quickly reared back and spat a powerful stream of fire.

"Dragonite, quick, use Dragon Claw!" Lance ordered. Dragonite's claw shined a bright white as he thrust them forward, ripping the Fire attack apart with ease. With a powerful flap of his wings, Dragonite charged forward and slammed the Dragon Claw attack into Charizard's chest, knocking the wind out of him as he fell. Dragonite smirked, and gasped as he felt a powerful Dragonbreath slam into his back, courtesy of Latios at Ash's mental command.

"Latios, Psychic!" Ash shouted. Latios' eyes glowed as he bombarded Dragonite's body with his mental powers, causing the large Dragon to let out a shriek of pain. Latios slammed Dragonite to the floor of the clearing rather hard. "Luster Purge, Thunder and Overheat!" Ash shouted. Latios' body began to glow with a gentle white light, Charizard began to glow with a blazing red aura, and Pikachu's cheeks began to spark violently.

Pikachu glanced at Latios and Charizard and let out a groaned. "Why I am the only one not glowing?" he complained. Latias giggled.

The three Pokémon let out a battle cry as they released their respective attacks. Latios hurled a powerful blast sphere of bright light, Pikachu flung an enormous lightning strike and Charizard expelled a blazing blast so hot it was a bright white. Lance's eyes widened in terror as he saw the three attacks heading towards his Dragon-type. He decided that it was time he pulled his ultimate trump card. "Dragonite, use Draco Meteor!"

Dragonite roared as his body was covered in a red aura, waves of draconic power rippling through his body. A sphere of red power covered his body as the three attacks from Ash's Pokémon collided against him, releasing a tremendous explosion. Lance and Ash covered their eyes as the shockwave from the attack hit them, though Ash had an easier time considering that Latias blocked most of it with her psychic powers.

As the center of the clearing was covered in a cloud smoke, Ash's Pokémon, who were a few feet away from the smoke, looked around anxiously to see if they had managed to beat Lance's famed Dragonite. Suddenly, a huge red orb shot into the sky, startling Ash's Pokémon. The orb exploded and dozens of red meteor-like projectiles rained towards the ground.

Latios' eyes glowed as he used his Psychic powers to stop the meteors, but to his horror, the sheer power behind the attack was so much that he could barely stop the first ones. He was immediately hit by the shower of meteoric projectiles, along with Pikachu and Charizard. The field was covered in a series of explosions as the Draco Meteor engulfed most of the field in its range of destruction. Thankfully, Ash was out of range of the attacks, as well as Lance.

Once the explosions ended, the field was covered in an even thicker smoke, a deathly silence falling as Ash and Lance looked to see what had become of their Pokémon. After a few minutes, the smoke began to clear, revealing a battered and bruised Dragonite. He was panting in exhaustion from using the Draco Meteor and from taking that triple attack.

To Ash's complete shock, Charizard and Pikachu were knocked out cold and Latios was on the ground, panting heavily. Unlike Pikachu and Charizard, he had managed to lessen the damage from the Draco Meteor by stopping the attacks with his mind, though he had been unable to stop most of them. Ash's jaw dropped. _'A single Pokémon of Lance's defeated my strongest three! And at the same time!' _he thought in awe. _'I can't believe it… are the Champion and Elite Four really this powerful? I thought I was becoming strong, but…now I see why I couldn't win the Silver Conference. I'm a long way from becoming as strong as them.' _

"_Draco Meteor is an impressively powerful attack. And besides, as you said, Lance is a Champion. His Dragonite has a lot more experience than Charizard, Pikachu, and Latios put together, but don't think too lowly of yourself… you will one day become that strong, you'll see,"_ Latias said to Ash mentally, portraying a smile inside his mind.

Lance smirked. "See, that's what I told you about. Dragonite, finish Latios off with Dragon Claw!" Dragonite walked to where the downed, but still conscious, Latios was. Dragonite's claws glowed a bright white as he readied the attack. Once he was in front of Latios, he raised his arm, ready to knock Latios out…when something collided against him in the chest so hard that he coughed up some blood as he screeched in pain.

Lance's blood went cold as Dragonite's assailant revealed herself, Latias appearing in a shower of blue sparkling lights, ready to protect her family and friends. Lance's eyes widened_. 'H-h-he has a La-La-tias too!'_ he thought in pure shock. Ash took the moment of distraction to return Charizard back to his Pokeball and cradle Pikachu in his arms.

"Latias, what are you doing!" Latios shouted in astonishment, his voice filled with worry.

"It's _my_ turn to protect _you_,"she said firmly.

"Sister, you're going to fight a Pokémon that beat me, Pikachu and Charizard?" Latios asked, voiced filled with fear for Latias' safety. Latios mustered every single bit of strength he had left as he activated his levitation and rose off the ground. He was not going to let Latias fight a Pokémon as strong as Lance's Dragonite, even if he had to overexert himself into a coma.

"Brother, you are too injured and tired to battle. Besides, you three already softened him up for me, I should be fine," Latias said. She smiled, clearly touched as she saw Latios forcing himself to fly just to fight instead of her. She gently used her psychic abilities to lower Latios back to the grass. He tried to fight her off with his psychic powers, but due to his exhaustion, his mental abilities were easily overpowered by hers.

"Sis, don't do this!" Latios said as he tried to weakly struggle against Latias' mental hold.

She gently deposited him back to the grass and smiled at him lovingly. "I trained with you all, through not as hard. I am not defenseless anymore Latios. I will protect you now, for all the times you've protected me."

Dragonite narrowed his eyes._ 'Damn, I'm tired…those three attacks really hit me hard… I have to finish her off fast…'_

Latias got into a battle position. "I'm ready, Ash!"

Ash was still a bit shocked about Latias' sudden courage to fight off Lance's Dragonite. Her voice snapped him out of it. He nodded. "Alright Latias, here we go. Use Dragon Breath!"

Latias took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of white flames at the Dragonite. "Dragonite, use Dragon Pulse!" Lance shouted. Dragonite quickly reared back and fired an orb of compressed green energy. The Dragon Pulse easily tore through Latias' Dragon Breath, heading directly at her.

"Latias, use Psychic!" Ash shouted. Latias' eyes glowed as she ripped the Dragon Pulse apart with a single thought.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!" Lance shouted.

"Latias, dodge!" Ash commanded. Dragonite charged at Latias, his claws glowing a bright white. He swiped at Latias, the red and white dragon quickly adjusting her levitation so the attack passed over her. Dragonite attempted another swipe, but Latias shifted her levitation, again changing her movement without warning and causing Dragonite's attack to miss. She flew back, putting some distance between herself and Dragonite.

"Dragonite, use Ice Beam!" Lance shouted. Dragonite gathered an orb of freezing energy in his mouth and fired three zigzagging beams at Latias.

"Latias, dodge and use Mist Ball!" Ash shouted.

Latias smirked as Ash called her strongest attack. She quickly flew to the side, dodging the ice attack with ease. Her body gave off a soft ethereal glow as she held her claws forward. A small orb of white psychic energy appeared and was engulfed by an extremely thick reddish-white mist. As she finished charging her attack, a large ball of compressed mists swirling wildly between her claws, Dragonite tensed. _'What is that?'_

"Take this!" Latias shouted as she hurled the orb towards Dragonite, the Mist Ball leaving a trail of mist in its wake as it flew at the Dragon and Flying-Type.

"Dragonite dodge it!" Lance shouted. Dragonite sidestepped, causing the Mist Ball to pass him.

Latias smirked. _'You think you can dodge it? Think again… HA!'_ With a thought, she detonated her Mist Ball. The Mist Ball exploded like a smoke grenade, releasing a reddish mist in every direction. The impact of the resulting shock wave wasn't much, Dragonite was barely pushed back. He winced as he took the damage from the attack.

"That's all?" Dragonite taunted, expecting the attack to have damaged him more. It came from a Legendary Pokémon after all.

"Yep, that's all. I've won," Latias said calmly. Lance and Dragonite stared at her in confusion.

"Heh, you must be hallucinating," Lance commented as the mists slowly dissipated. "Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

"Heh, I'll finish you off with a single attack," the Dragon and Flying-Type said smugly. Dragonite opened his mouth and began forming an orb of volatile orange energy… only for it to dissipate before him. Dragonite and Lance's eyes widened in terror.

"While my Mist Ball isn't very harmful when it comes to direct damage, it has a devastating side-effect. Anything touched by the mist is severely weakened, and added to your prior exhaustion, that means you have no energy left to battle," Latias explained.

Dragonite's eyes widened as his exhaustion began to intensify. Soon, he was too tired to move, let alone form an attack. "Why you…" Dragonite growled. "It was just mist, how can it do this?"

"Its not regular mist, it's hyper-charged with my Psychic powers," Latias clarified. "And now it'smy turn to finish _you_ off."

"Nice job, Latias! We got him!" Ash congratulated as they smiled at each other. "Use Ice Beam!" Latias opened her mouth and gathered an orb of freezing energies, firing three beams of cold energy at the exhaustion-paralyzed Dragon. The attack hit Dragonite in the chest, creating a layer of ice over his chest and neck as he stumbled back.

"Now, Psychic!" Ash commanded. Latias' eyes glowed a bright white as she fired a powerful wave of psychokinetic energy. The power Latias put behind the attack was colossal as Dragonite felt like he had been hit by a mountain. The psychic attack ripped the ice apart and flung him back a few dozen yards, crashing a few feet in front of a shocked Lance. He tried to stand up, but he couldn't even move a muscle.

Latios smiled, awed by his sister's performance. "Wow…just, wow! Who knew you had it in you sis?" he commented. Latias blushed slightly.

Lance looked utterly shocked at his defeated Dragonite. It had been ages since his Dragonite had been defeated. Latias glanced at Lance and began to glide towards him. Lance noticed this and quickly reached for another Pokeball. "Too slow… far too slow," Latias said, shaking her head. Lance's body was suddenly completely paralyzed. She stopped a meter away from him.

"You have a Latias too!" Lance said in astonishment.

"Yes, so?" Ash said as he walked to them, followed weakly by Latios, through Latias was helping him levitate.

"Lance, your actions are shocking, to go this far just to get a Legendary Pokémon…" Latias said, shaking her head sadly.

"Why did you do it?" Ash asked.

"I was… angry that you could get a Legendary Dragon Pokémon being so young, yet I, who has been a master dragon trainer for years, has not even seen one," Lance answered. He would have gazed downwards, but Latias wasn't allowing that.

"You should have listened to your Pokémon. He knew this was wrong, yet he was willing to do it for you anyway," Latias commented.

"I know… but I was so eager to have a Pokémon like Latios on my team," Lance said, starting to feel regret for his actions.

"You were blinded by your jealousy. I don't need my psychic powers to tell you are a good person, but you made a big mistake," Latias told him. "Latios would never have gone to you even if you had won. Did you really think that after something like this he would obey you?"

"Well…" Lance began, not really knowing how to answer that.

"Of course not! He'd never follow your commands," Latias said, irritated. "Now, what should we do with you?"

"Maybe we should tell everyone what he did," Latios suggested, smirking.

Lance paled in terror. That would destroy his public image, and who knew what the Pokémon League would do to him? "Anything but that!"

"You aren't in much of a position to negotiate," Latias said dryly. Lance gulped.

"Come on, don't do that. I admit my mistake, I honestly do, I was stupid for trying to do this, and I'm sorry!" Lance said desperately. Latias smiled. She could sense he was truly sorry.

"Ash, what should we do with him?" Latias asked, giving him the final choice.

"Let him go," Ash said. He had always been very forgiving. "He admitted his mistake and he said he was sorry, give him another chance."

Latias nodded and released Lance. The human breathed a sigh of relief as he felt he could move again. "Lance, will you promise not to do some stunt like this again?" Latios asked.

Lance shook his head. "No, I guess…I let my emotions get the best of me and got carried away… I feel horrible. Is there some way I can make it up to you Ash?"

Ash thought. "Not really. Just don't do something like this again and we'll keep this a secret."

Lance smiled. "Thanks." He held out a Pokeball and returned his knocked-out Dragonite. "Latias, Latios and Ash, I am sincerely sorry for this."

"It's okay," Latias said. "If Ash forgives you, then so do me and Latios."

"Well, I don-" Latios began. Latias glared at him, and he decided that it was best to shut up, considering he was the weakened one now.

"I hope that the next time we battle Ash, it will be a fair six on six, and I expect you to be strong enough to beat me fairly," Lance said with a smile. "And I'm eager to see how much Latias and Latios have developed by then."

Ash nodded. "I'll be strong enough."

Lance hummed. "Hey, I know how I can make it up to you." He reached into one of the hidden pockets of his jacket, concealed underneath his cape. He took out a small book, it wasn't very thick and was about pocket size.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

Lance smiled. "It's a guide with numerous tips for raising Dragons to their full potential."

Ash smiled. "Awesome!"

"And at the end, it contains detailed instructions to teach a Dragon Pokémon Draco Meteor, the technique Dragonite used to beat all three of your Pokémon so fast," Lance continued.

Ash grinned eagerly, giddy at the thought of having such an attack at his disposal. Lance chuckled at the amused boy's face. "However, I don't think Latias and Latios are ready yet to learn Draco Meteor. They still need more experience. When you think the time is right, teach them the ultimate Dragon move," he suggested.

Ash took the book. "Thanks a lot, Lance."

"And thank _you_ for keeping all this quiet and giving me a second chance," Lance said. "Well, I'd better get going… Latias and Latios, I promise our next meeting will be a more pleasant one. It was an honor to meet and battle you, despite losing." He turned and walked away. Ash didn't notice as he was too busy checking out the book, though it was tough to understand.

Latias giggled. "Give it to Brock, he could understand it a lot better," she suggested.

Ash reluctantly nodded. "I agree. Do you really think I can become as strong as him? He beat my strongest three Pokémon at the same time with just one. If this had been a full six on six battle, he would have destroyed my team with just his Dragonite."

"Yes, I believe you can," Latias said, not a single doubt in her voice. "He has like ten more years of experience than you. When you have those years, you'll be as strong as him, if not stronger, you'll see."

Latios smiled and put a claw on Ash's shoulder. "The key to becoming that strong is simple: patience."

Ash nodded. "Thanks a lot."

With that, he walked back to Silver Town, heading to the Pokémon Center to get his Pokémon healed. It'd be tough to explain this to his friends without mentioning Lance's actions, plus his possession of the book. He'd improvise (as usual).

* * *

Two days later…

"This has been one epic match, folks!" the MC roared over the speakers. "This is certainly worthy of the grand finale of the Silver Conference!"

On the scoreboard atop of the stadium, two pictures were displayed. One of them was Jon Dickson's. Both trainers had already lost five Pokémon and were down to their last ones.

Ash was currently in a special VIP booth with the best view of the battlefield along with the other 13 finalists. Their presence was required at the award ceremony, so they were in a room with easy access to the field.

'_Wow, nice battle,'_ Ash thought.

"_Yeah, I agree,"_ Latias replied. Both she and Latios were invisible and inside the room, it was large enough for them to hover safely out of the reach of the other trainers.

"Togetic, use Silver Wind!" Jon shouted. Togetic flapped her wings and fired a powerful silver gust of wind filled with crescent blades of wind at her opponent, a Venasaur. While the Grass-Type wasn't looking very tired, Togetic was panting heavily.

"Venasaur, use Hyper Beam!" the Grass-Type's trainer, a man of at least twenty years named Kyle, shouted. Venasaur opened its mouth and gathered energy into an orange ball. A large orange beam was fired, tearing the Silver Wind apart and colliding with Togetic, creating an explosion. She fell from the sky and landed on the rocky terrain of the field they were in.

Togetic shakily stood up, panting heavily and looking dazed, on the border of collapse. Jon growled. _'Togetic is barely standing and Venusaur is mostly fine… I'll have to risk it all or nothing…'_ he thought. "Togetic, use Metronome!"

"And this is it, Togetic's last attack. Venusaur has to recharge, so Togetic has time to execute its technique, but if it fails to defeat Venasaur then it's all over!" the MC cried anxiously.

Togetic's small stubby arms began to shine blue as her attack was finishing its charge. She finished moving her arms as the glow dissipated. Her next attack had been selected. Togetic's exhaustion began to fade as her body began to glow a bright white, a huge amount of power forming within her. Her body was encased in a huge sphere of white light that was fired at the Venasaur in a Metronome-selected Luster Purge.

Latios' jaw dropped_. "HOW DARE SHE USE MY ATTACK!"_ he bellowed angrily. Latias and Ash had to put a claw/hand over their mouths to stop their laughter. Some trainers stared at Ash in confusion. Gary shrugged, dismissing it as nothing important.

The Luster Purge collided with the Venusaur. The super-effective attack was strong enough to knock out the Grass-Type with a huge explosion. When the light, receded, everyone was aware of the Grass and Poison-Type's defeat. "Venusaur is unable to continue battling. The victor of this battle and the winner of the Silver Conference is Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town!" the Referee bellowed. The crowd burst into wild cheers as Jon stood there, stunned at the realization that he had just won the Silver Conference.

"This is it! Jon Dickson has won the Silver Conference of the Johto League!" the MC announced.

"YEAH!" Jon shouted, finally reacting to the fact that he had won the tournament. Togetic flew over to him as she hugged him, overjoyed that she had made her trainer a League Champion. The crowd cheered.

After a few minutes of preparations, the MC spoke up. "Now, its time for the awards ceremony of this year's Silver Conference!" the MC announced. The field shook as the rock field began to sink back to the earth. It split in two as the normal field took its place, with the surprise that in the center of it was a stage. It had many bright colors and a microphone in the middle. Two pedestals were beside it, and in the middle of the stage were three platforms. The one that was lowest to the ground was bronze-colored and had a "3rd" painted on it, the middle platform in height was silver-colored and had a "2nd" painted on it, and the tallest one was gold-colored and had a "1st"painted on it. Several news crews and photographers were allowed into the field to get the best shots of the stage.

Mr. Goodshow and Lance entered the field, waving at the cheering crowd. Behind them, walking in a straight line, were the other fourteen final rounds participants. Both walked up to the stage and stood in front of the microphone. Jon Dickson and the other trainer joined the other finalist, forming in a line in front of the stage.

"Greetings to all!" Mr. Goodshow boomed over the speakers. "This year's Silver Conference was certainly one to remember, but sadly, it has finally come to an end, with many outstanding trainers and even greater battles! But first, I would like all of you to give a round of applause to these sixteen trainers who made it to the final rounds and fought fiercely for the title. Though only one won, the rest gave an amazing performance. Let's thank them all for the memorable battles they gave us!" Mr. Goodshow began to clap his hands. Soon the rest of the stadium joined in a collective applause for the sixteen trainers lined up in front of the stage. Ash and Gary admitted that it was an amazing feeling to have an entire stadium cheering for them.

"Well," Mr. Goodshow began as the applauses died down. "Now it's time to begin the individual awards. These are divided into a few categories and are granted to the best trainer in each category! The judges that decided who which award went to are myself, the Johto Champion Lance, the Elite Four, Silver Town's local Nurse Joy and Professor Elm!"

A beautiful woman entered the field, carrying a platter. On it were five gold medals, each with a different inscription on it. She walked to the stage and set the platter on one of the small pedestals besides the microphone.

"The first award is 'Best Performance.' This award is given to the trainer that had the best tournament, the trainer that managed to dominate his battles the best and the one that seemed to be the most solid contender throughout the conference!" Mr. Goodshow announced. "This award goes to… Kyle of Goldenrod City! Through he lost the final battle, his road towards the match was impressive as he steadily dominated all trainers that opposed him, and he fought impressively to the finish." The crowd cheered.

Lance grabbed one of the medals as the aforementioned trainer walked up to the stage. He gave a low bow as Lance placed the medal around his neck. "Congratulations," Lance said as the trainer walked back to the line.

"Now," Mr. Goodshow started. "The second award is 'Best Youth.' This award is given to the trainer that, despite being rather young, still managed to make it far in the Conference. This award goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! At the age of eleven years and eleven months, Ash managed to reach the semifinals! A new world record!" Mr. Goodshow announced. The crowd cheered. Delia burst into happy tears as she took an entire album's worth of photos.

Ash smiled happily as he walked up to the stage, receiving the medal from Lance, though Pikachu had to move a little for the medal to be placed properly. At least they were on good terms despite their last meeting. "Congratulations," Lance said.

Ash smiled. "Thanks," he said. He walked back to the line.

Gary gave Ash a playful punch in the shoulder as he returned. "Good one, congratulations." Ash smiled at his former rival.

"The third award is the 'Best Strategist.' This award is given to the trainer that demonstrated the ability to plan ahead of difficult battles and come through with surprising results. This award goes to… Harrison of Little Root Town! He managed to create a strategy that was able to almost beat Ash Ketchum's Legendary Pokémon, and as a result, incapacitated Latios for the semifinals," Mr. Goodshow announced. The crowd cheered again. Harrison smiled and walked to the stage, receiving the commendation and medal from Lance.

"That's why I lost…" Ash muttered unhappily. Latias stifled a giggle.

"The fourth award is the 'Best Pokémon' award," Mr. Goodshow announced. "This award is given to the trainer that showed us the rarest, greatest or strongest Pokémon of all the other finalists!" Mr. Goodshow explained. "This award goes to… Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! Ash certainly made the most shocking event of the conference, revealing to the world his ownership of the Legendary Pokémon Latios!"

Ash smiled and walked back to the stage again, happy to receive another award. In the stands, Delia took about two albums' worth of photos while happily crying. Some people stared at her oddly. Professor Oak chuckled nervously.

"Congratulations yet again Ash," Lance said with a proud smile as he hung another medal around Ash's neck. "Between us," he whispered. "I personally congratulate you for having two Legends." Ash chuckled and nodded. He walked back to the line of the finalists.

"Now, it's time to give the fifth and final individual award!" Mr. Goodshow announced. "The 'Most Powerful Team' award. This award is given to the trainer that had the most balanced team within the League. This award goes to… Jon Dickson!" Mr. Goodshow bellowed. Jon smiled and walked to the stage, receiving the medal and congratulation from Lance.

"Now," Mr, Goodshow began. "The time has come to give the trophies to the best three trainers!" Another beautiful woman entered the field, holding a tray with three trophies: a bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one. The golden one was the largest and the bronze one was the smallest. She set the tray on the second pedestal beside the microphone.

"The third place is chosen between the two trainers that lost in the semifinals. Out of those two, it is given to the one that had a better overall performance in the league, voted and chosen by the same judges from earlier, and the official third place of the Silver Conference goes to… Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Mr. Goodshow boomed, his voice amplified by the mike. Ash froze in amazement. He couldn't believe it, he was in third place!

"Now, will the top three trainers please ascend to your corresponding pedestals?" Mr. Goodshow asked.

Jon Dickson and Kyle walked forward towards the stage. Ash was still paralyzed with amazement. Gary chuckled. _'Stunned in place, hehe!' _He gently nudged Ash forward, snapping him out of his trance. "Go and enjoy your glory."

Ash smiled and nodded, walking after the other two trainers. Each trainer took their place on a pedestal. Jon stood on the large golden one, Kyle on the silver one, and Ash on the bronze one. Lance grabbed the third place bronze trophy and handed it to Ash, then repeated the process with the other two trainers.

"Now, these three are the best trainers of the Silver Conference! Special honors go to Jon Dickson, Champion of the Silver Conference!" Mr. Goodshow boomed. Several hidden mechanisms behind the stage opened and fired multi-colored confetti upwards as the three trainers lifted their trophies and held them proudly over their heads while the crowd cheered loudly. Several more mechanisms activated and fireworks where launched skywards, exploding in a colorful display of lights above the stadium.

Mr. Goodshow left the microphone and walked to the trainers. "Now, it's time to take the official photo of the results for the Silver Conference hall of fame. Please, it is tradition that the photo is taken of the top three trainers alongside their "Signature Pokémon," or the Pokémon they feel they are bonded with the most," Mr. Goodshow said. Several photographers lined up besides the short man, getting their cameras ready.

Jon and Kyle nodded and released their selected Pokémon, Jon letting out his Togetic and Kyle his Typhlosion. Mr. Goodshow looked at Ash. "And you?" he asked.

"I choose Pikachu," Ash said, scratching Pikachu's chin tenderly. The Electric-Type gave a 'cha' of contentment.

Mr. Goodshow frowned. "Do you mind if Latios appears too? He was one of the most memorable Pokémon of this year's conference; he _has _to appear in its culmination photo."

Ash shrugged. "Sure. Latios, reveal yourself." Latios materialized beside Ash in a bright display of blue lights, startling everyone on the stage. They had expected Ash to reach for a Pokeball.

Jon stared at Ash. "Has he been here the whole time!" he asked incredulously.

Ash nodded. "Yep." Jon's jaw dropped.

Latios gazed at Togetic, who was perched atop Jon's head. "You used _my _personal move…" he said, slightly annoyed.

Togetic laughed nervously. The last thing she wanted was to be on the bad side of a Legendary. "Err. I'm sorry? I mean, Metronome is random…hehehe…I had no control over it…please don't kill me!" she said, terrified. Latios narrowed his eyes.

"_Latios! You're gonna scare her to death!"_ Latias told her brother. He mentally laughed.

The group posed and got ready to have the photo taken, Ash and his two Pokémon plus Kyle and Jon and their Pokémon. As the photographers got ready, Ash stopped them. "Wait!" he said. They looked at him, wondering what he wanted. Ash grabbed the 'Best Pokémon' medal he had been awarded and took it off. "Here Latios, this is yours." Latios smiled, blushing slightly. He bowed his head so Ash could put the medal around his neck. They posed as the photographers took the photo, and what a nice one it was.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few miles outside of Silver Town….

"Sign here too," a Team Rocket executive said. Jessie groaned in pain. This was like the thousandth paper she'd signed!

"Please… stop this," she begged.

"You're lucky Agent Jessie, that was the last form. You're ready. Here," the Team Rocket executive gave her the keys for the Ultimate Team Rocket Machine, which was behind him.

"And here." He handed James a book that was at least two thousand pages long. "That's the manual."

With that, the Team Rocket executive departed, walking to his personal helicopter and leaving Jessie, James and Meowth to stare at the machine in front of them. "It's amazing…" Jessie commented, awestruck.

"With this baby, we'll have Latios for da boss in no time!" Meowth gushed. They eagerly climbed aboard, James examining the manual the whole time.

"First, lets' get a feel of how to use it, then we'll ambush the twerps as they leave Silver Town," James suggested. The other two nodded and began to study the manual.

Looks like someone else was getting ready to steal Latios.

* * *

And Chapter 22 has finished! (Along with the Silver Conference). I always thought that the ceremony to give the trophy to the champion in the anime was way too simple. So, I decided to add a few things. Hope you all liked it!

And tell me what you think of the Chapter. Don't forget to **Review**!


	23. Ambush! Team Rocket Returns

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: And here's chapter 23! Finally. I'm very sorry for the delay, but, the finals of school semester have been terribly mean to me. *cries*

* * *

Ash smiled nostalgically as he and his group of friends looked back at the distant Silver Town. With the Silver Conference over, they were getting ready for the journey back to Kanto and their respective home cities. Their route would be a quick trip to Goldenrod City, where they would take the magnet train to Saffron City and then go to their respective towns. They could easily buy the tickets with the prize money Ash got for winning third place in the League. He had been rather horrified to find that due to his age most of the money was given directly to Delia, his mother. What fun…

Bianca had to return to Altomare to get back to her art business. Latios had offered to fly her to the port after lots of farewells between her and Latias, where she took a ferry back to Altomare. She also made Latios promise that before going to the Hoenn region they would visit.

Charizard still hadn't left. Since the group was going towards Goldenrod City, which was a lot closer to the Charizific valley, he decided he'd depart from there back to the valley.

For now, Oak had to stay in Silver Town for a few days checking over some of the results of the Conference with Professor Elm, and Delia decided to stay. Gary would be staying too for a few days, but he wanted to accompany Ash to the outskirts of town for a final good-bye.

"So Ash," Gary began. "Where are you going to compete next?"

"I've been talking it over with Brock and I've decided to compete in the Hoenn League," Ash answered. "And you?"

Gary smiled. "I've decided to leave Pokémon battling," he answered. This naturally caused everyone to turn to look at him, clearly surprised.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"I've decided to become a Pokémon researcher like my grandpa," Gary announced proudly, glad to announce his career choice to Ash, his best friend and former rival.

"Wow, that's interesting," Brock commented.

"Aw, but who will be my rival now?" Ash complained.

Gary laughed. "I'm sure you'll find a trainer that will beat you around, forcing you to train harder to outdo him." Ash glared at him while everyone else laughed.

"But what motivated you to become a researcher?" Ash asked.

"Many things," Gary answered. "All the secrets that are still in the Pokémon world, like Pokémon I haven't seen before such as Latias and Latios. They're an awesome pair of Legendary Pokémon, and it was an interesting experience to meet and talk to them, especially since I started to hear their telepathy." After a few days, Gary had begun to hear their telepathy, and now he could talk freely to them.

"_No problem,"_ Latias replied.

"I wonder what other kinds of Legendaries or unknown Pokémon are still out there. Besides, I like what my grandpa does," Gary continued.

"Alright. I wish you the best of luck!" Ash said, encouraging Gary. He smiled and got an idea. He grabbed his backpack and opened it, rummaging through his stuff. He took out a rusty Pokeball and split it in half. He offered Gary the half that he had taken for himself on that long ago day when they'd first divided the Pokeball between themselves. "It's a good luck charm," he explained, smiling.

Gary smiled and took it. "Thanks. Well, I think I should get going, I have to get back to Silver Town and I want to have a look around these woods. Who knows what Pokémon I might find?"

"Alright. Good-bye Gary. Until next time," Ash said as he and Gary shook hands.

Unexpectedly, a small quake interrupted them. "What was that?" Misty asked, hugging Togepi tighter against her chest.

"I don't have a clue," Brock said. Another small quake shook the ground.

"Okay… this is awkward," Ash commented.

"_What are you all talking about?"_ Latias asked curiously.

"The ground is shaking. Can't you feel it?" Ash asked.

Latias sweatdropped. _"Ash… I'm floating," _she deadpanned telepathically. Ash laughed nervously. Everyone facepalmed.

"Latios, can you sense something?" Brock asked.

Latios closed his eyes and spread out his mental senses as far as he could. _"No… just a few wild Pokémon here and there, but nothing else…"_

Suddenly the ground shook violently and the earth in front of them cracked. They quickly ran back as a huge drill appeared followed by a huge black tank with a red 'R' painted on its side that erupted from the ground. The lower half of the tank had a huge frontal drill and several rocket propellers in the back. The top half had a weird white sphere in place of a cannon. A huge black crystal was embedded in the back part of the tank. For some reason, it sent a chill down Latias and Latios's spines. "Nothing else, huh?" Brock asked sarcastically.

Latios' jaw dropped. _'H-How did I fail to sense that thing! Impossible! Even underground, I should have sensed something that big coming…'_

"The heck is that!" Gary cried.

Latios growled mentally. _'Damn, Latias and I are visible, whoever is driving that thing probably already saw her...'_

Inside the machine Team Rocket smirked as they looked at the viewscreen. "What's that?" Jessie asked, pointing at Latias.

James flipped through his cards for a while. "Here," he said, finding the card that matched the Pokémon they were seeing. "That's a Latias. So, the twerp has two Legendaries? That's double the prize, I guess…"

The top hatch opened as an elevator lifted Jessie, James and Meowth out of the tank, while of the machine's speakers began to play an eerie deathly music. "Prepare for trouble!" Jessie said.

"And make it double…" James continued.

Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock felt like they wanted to cry. Not them again! And they'd thought they had lost them for good…

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie said loudly, hiding a laugh at the twerp's faces.

"To unite all people within our nation!" James continued, glad that they could finally say their motto again.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessie followed.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James said.

"Jessie!" Jessie announced, doing a dramatic pose as the music's rhythm picked up.

"James!" James called out, doing another dramatic pose.

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!" Jessie shouted.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James declared.

"Meowth! Dat's right!" the feline Pokémon said, ending their motto.

Latios and Latias thought it was the stupidest thing they had ever heard in their lives. They would have laughed, but it was hard to do that considering the huge machine before them. They felt anger boil within them at seeing a member of Team Rocket again. _'Though, from Ash's tales, these three must be the idiots that always fail in capturing Pikachu, so they shouldn't be a threat,'_ Latios thought.

"Man, it's been a while since we last did that," James commented. "I missed it."

"Yeah, we needed to say the motto again," Jessie agreed.

"Not you three again!" Ash shouted. "I thought we'd lost you for good!"

"Aw, did you miss us?" Jessie said mockingly.

"I guess getting rid of them is hard," Misty commented. "I wonder if it's even possible…"

"We will never rest until we catch that Pikachu… and those two Pokémon there!" Jessie announced, pointing at Latios and Latias.

"You'll never take them away!" Ash shouted back.

"Like you have a say! With dis new toy, we'll beat anything you throw at us!" Meowth said proudly, motioning to the tank.

"Meet our newest mecha, the Dark Devastator, the strongest machine Team Rocket has ever produced!" the three shouted at the same time.

"We'll smash it up just like we have with every single other stupid machine!" Ash said, grinning_._

"_I have a faster way.__ I'll simply knock the three out psychically before they use their machine on us,"_ Latios said. For once, Ash agreed. If Latios knocked them out psychically, they could win without fighting. Latios' eyes glowed as he got ready to attack them mentally… and found that he couldn't even sense their minds in the first place. He instead tried hitting them with a powerful Psychic attack…and again nothing happened. His eyes widened. Jessie, James and Meowth smirked. They hadn't even been alarmed when they saw his eyes glow.

"Latios, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"_I… can't sense them… I tried attacking them mentally and I can't!"_ Latios said, clearly shocked.

"What do you mean?" Brock asked. "Can't you simply knock them out cold?"

"_No,"_ Latios said.

"But why?" Ash wondered.

"Their minds must be so tiny you can't even sense them," Pikachu joked. Ash, Latias and Latios laughed. Latias mentally transmitted the joke to the rest, and they laughed too, much to Meowth's irritation.

"How dare you!" Meowth bellowed.

Jessie and James blinked. "What did they say?"

"He said dat the reason their psychic attack didn't work was because our minds were too tiny!" Meowth translated angrily. Jessie and James fumed.

"Why those little…" Jessie snarled.

"You couldn't be more wrong!" James announced. "This machine has a powerful Dark-attribute crystal that creates a field of Dark energies around the machine, nullifying all Psychic activity!"

Ash grinned. "Thanks for the information, that's very useful."

"So, that's what that thing does…" Latios muttered.

James' jaw dropped. Jessie hit him in the head. "Idiot! Anyway, you have a simple choice twerp, you hand over all your Pokémon, or we'll take them away by force," Jessie threatened.

"Like I'd ever give up!" Ash shouted. "We'll smash that machine the same way we've smashed all your robots in the past!"

The Rocket trio laughed. "Have it yer way then…" Meowth said darkly as the Rocket trio entered their machine once more. Ash and his friends stepped back, each grabbing a Pokeball.

"Blastoise, I choose you!" Gary shouted, releasing the large turtle-like water type.

"Charizard, go!" Ash shouted, releasing the fire-type. He chuckled when he saw his opponent, guessing who was inside the machine.

"Onix, go!" Brock shouted. The huge rock snake appeared, roaring into the air.

"Palitoed, go!" Misty said, releasing the water-type.

Inside the machine, Jessie laughed. "Those twerps really think they can beat us?" she asked rhetorically, looking at the screens. "Activate battle mode!"

James nodded and pressed a switch. "Let's bring the pain!"

The machine buzzed to life as its battle mode activated. Two large hatches opened on either side of the upper part as huge rocket launchers designed to fire plasma nets capable of subduing any Pokémon with powerful energy discharges were deployed. Five hatches opened on the top of the machine as five medium-sized energy cannons appeared, each with different coloration. There was a red one in the center, a soft icy blue one to the left, a green one to the far left, a silver one to the right side of the red one and a yellow one to the far right. The large black crystal in the back of the machine began to shine an eerie purple as its Dark field increased in power, almost to the point where Latias and Latios felt like it was hurting them.

Their jaws dropped. "This is ridiculous!" Brock cried.

"Behold the full power of our ultimate weapon!" Jessie bellowed.

"Damn," Ash muttered. "That thing looks tough."

"Let's do this!" the Rocket trio said eagerly as they took up the controls. The blue cannon turned and aimed at Latios, blue energy forming a ball at its tip as it fired a powerful beam of freezing energy at the Eon Pokémon.

"Charizard, protect Latios with a Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard nodded and spat a stream of flames, vaporizing the ice attack. The yellow energy cannon turned to aim at the Fire type, hummed and began crackling with electricity, and fired a powerful lighting strike. Latias took immediate action, using a DragonBreath to block the thunderbolt, clashing the white flames against the lightning.

"Onix, smash those cannons!" Brock ordered. Onix nodded and swung his tail at the cannons.

"Ha! Don't think so!" James bellowed over the speakers. The white sphere atop the machine began shine as it began to compress a lot of air within it. After a second, it released a tremendous blast of pressurized air, knocking Brock's Onix away with ease.

The net launchers to the side fired a pair of Plasma nets at the snake-like Rock-type. Latios recognized them as the same trap Annie and Oakley had used on him back at Altomare. His eyes glowed as he tried to rip the nets apart with his mind, but found that he couldn't use his psychic attacks. _'Damn that crystal!' _he thought angrily.

The nets wrapped around Onix's neck. The Rock-Type gave a cry of pain as they activated, engulfing him in red energy that drained his strength. "Charizard, burn those things with Flamethrower! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Charizard nodded and spat a powerful Flamethrower at Onix, completely incinerating the plasma nets. Pikachu turned to the machine and released a tremendous discharge of electricity.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump! Aim for those cannons!" Gary ordered. Blastoise aimed his cannons and fired a potent blast of water at the cannons.

"You too, Politoed!" Misty ordered.

The machine's cannons quickly aimed at them. The green cannon shined as a small solar panel attached to the top gathered sunlight, firing a powerful Solar Beam that intercepted the Hydro Pumps. The electric cannon fired a powerful bolt of electricity, countering Pikachu's thunderbolt with ease.

Charizard, Latias and Latios moved a bit higher and fired two Dragonbreaths and a Flamethrower down towards the machine. The remaining three cannons aimed up and charged their attacks. The red one fired a jet of flames, cancelling Charizard's fire attack, the silver one fired a potent Flash Cannon, and the blue one fired an Ice Beam, countering Latias and Latios' Dragonbreaths.

The net launchers pivoted upwards and fired a series of plasma nets towards the three airborne dragons. Latias and Charizard flew downwards while Latios flew up, evading the nets. Latios noticed something, he no longer felt the machine's dark field. He smirked, realizing he had just found its range. His eyes glowed as he levitated a boulder from the nearby woods sky high. Once it was above the machine he dropped it.

"Pretty clever, but think again!" James said as the silver turret aimed upwards and fired a powerful Flash Cannon that pierced the rock, shattering it to pieces. Latios groaned. The ice cannon fired an Ice Beam at him, forcing him to dodge it quickly lest he be frozen.

"Ash!" Gary called. "We need to destroy those cannons! Have Latias, Latios and Charizard distract them, I'll attack them!"

Ash nodded. "Latias, Latios, use Dragonbreath! Charizard, use Flamethower!"

Gary grabbed two Pokeballs. "Arcanine, Umbreon, Go!" he shouted, releasing the two Pokémon.

"Onix, attack from bellow!" Brock ordered. The rock-type nodded and quickly 'dove' into the ground, quickly disappearing as he dug underground.

Latias, Latios and Charizard quickly floated in front of the machine and fired their respective attacks, getting Team Rocket's attention. The cannons aimed forward and fired their own barrage of attacks, cancelling their techniques yet again.

Suddenly, Arcanine, with Umbreon on his back, appeared on top of the machine thanks to an Extremespeed-powered leap. "Use Fire Blast and Shadow Ball!" Gary shouted. Umbreon quickly gathered an orb of shadows in her mouth while Arcanine took a deep breath, both exhaling and firing attacks that collided with one of the cannons. Umbreon's Shadow Ball hit the Green Solar Beam cannon, while Arcanine's Fire Blast hit the blue Ice Beam cannon. Both cannons exploded violently.

An alarm flared inside the cockpit, alerting the Team Rocket trio of the damage they had taken. "Damn!" Jessie cursed. "Get them off us before they do more damage!"

The white sphere took another intake of air, charging and proceeding to fire another blast of wind, flinging both of Gary's Pokémon away. They managed to land on all fours, avoiding a painful landing, though they winced due to the weapon hitting rather hard.

Suddenly, the machine sunk a few feet into the ground with a low tremble. Brock smirked, knowing his Onix was responsible. "Now what!" Jessie asked angrily.

"We're being attacked from below!" James announced, looking at the machine's sensors. "Activating drill, we're going underground!"

The drill began to spin slowly as it activated. However, Misty and Ash had different plans. "Ice Beam!" Both of them shouted. Latias, Latios and Politoed gathered icy-blue spheres of energy in their mouths and fired three beams of freezing energy directly at the drill of the machine.

The Fire cannon quickly aimed to intercept the blows. "Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard took a deep breath and spat a stream of fire, forcing the cannon to protect itself and aim at Charizard's attack instead.

A thick sheet of ice covered the drill, stopping it before it could build up enough speed to destroy it. "Pikachu hit that thing with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled violently as he fired a powerful bolt of electricity at the machine, hitting it. To their dismay, all they were doing was recharging its batteries. The Rocket trio laughed moronically.

Onix sprouted from the ground beside the machine and tackled it on the side. To Onix's dismay, the Dark Devastator's armor was way too strong, and it was knocked back, head spinning from the recoil. "Onix, aim for the guns!" Brock ordered.

Onix nodded and swung his tail at the main guns of the Dark Devastator. "Stop it!" Meowth bellowed.

"Activating crystal weapon!" James said, pressing a few buttons. The machine's crystal rose in power, creating an eerie purple grow as it increased its output. Latias and Latios were forced to back out of the field's range as the Dark energies began to hurt their senses rather badly.

A large blast of Dark energy was fired from the crystal, hitting Onix and knocking him out, forcing Brock to recall him. "Blastoise, use Hydro Pump! Arcanine use Fire Blast!" Gary ordered.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jessie said. The machine's net launchers aimed and fired a pair of plasma nets, capturing both of Gary's Pokémon, draining them of their energy completely and knocking them out cold. Gary growled and returned both Blastoise and Arcanine back to their Pokeballs.

The energy cannons fired a barrage of attacks, hitting Pikachu and Charizard with a fire and electrical attack, respectively. Thankfully, it took a lot more than that to knock them out. Another pair of nets were fired yet again, this time with different targets. Umbreon gracefully jumped, evading the net with surprising ease. Politoed, however, was not as fast and got captured, draining his energies and forcing Misty to return him.

However, the Dark Devastator was having some problems. The ice sheet was starting to freeze the power wires and systems of the front of the machine, and the tank was sinking into the weakened ground due to its weight. The flame cannon aimed and fired a Flamethrower at the drill, melting the ice there.

Suddenly, the machine trembled violently as a huge boulder fell from the sky, courtesy of Latios, who had lifted the rock away from the machine's radius. It collided with the Dark Crystal, cracking it slightly, but it didn't look too affected. However, Latias and Latios were undaunted because they were combining their powers to lift another boulder that was even bigger. Team Rocket paled. "That thing will cause severe damage!" James cried.

"Then fire a Flash Cannon!" Jessie shouted.

"It's too big, that won't work!" James yelled.

"Didn't dis thing have a huge Hyper Beam cannon inside the drill?" Meowth asked.

James' face lit up. "Right! We can use it to shatter that rock!" James said, as he activated the main weapon. The cannon inside the drill began gathering a massive amount of power. They smirked and took aim. They eagerly waited for the cannon to blast the huge rock Latios and Latias were lifting…and…why did an alarm start sounding in the cabin?

"What's that?" Jessie asked.

"I don't know," James answered. He took out the manual and checked it against the error message flashing on the control panel to find out what was wrong. "Uh oh…"

"What?" Meowth asked.

"The machine has a huge cannon inside the drill, and the drill needs to split in half to reveal the cannon…and we forgot to open the drill before initiating the firing sequence…" James said, scratching the back of his head Mareepishly.

"What! Do something!" Jessie cried.

"Too late!" Meowth shouted as the cannon fired. The lower part of the machine was blown apart in a terrible explosion. Latias and Latios reacted quickly, dropping the rock they had been lifting into the forest and generating a psychic shield around Ash and his friends, protecting them from the explosion. Thankfully, the blast dissipated the dark field briefly enough for them to do that.

"Damage report!" Jessie shouted.

James looked at the screens. "The lower front part is completely torn apart! The top part of the tank is still operational through… We're sitting Psyducks here! Oh…and the fire is reaching the fuel for the rocket propellers in the back, the whole thing's going to blow up!"

"Activate aerial mode!" Meowth ordered. James nodded and pressed an emergency switch. The entire top part of the machine separated from the lower half. Four hatches opened as four medium-sized helicopter rotors emerged and spun into action, two on each side. The Dark Devastator's top part rose away from the lower part as it exploded violently. Thankfully by that point Ash and his friends were a safe distance away.

"Okay… what was that about?" Ash asked, wondering why the machine had exploded. Now the Dark Devastator was a mid-sized aerial battleship, keeping most of the weapon systems and gaining more maneuverability. The ship aimed downwards and began to power up the wind-sphere to fire another attack at the group.

"I have an idea!" Ash said. "Latios, get their attention and make them focus their attacks on you. Latias, fly Gary's Umbreon to the top of the machine, she can get closest to that crystal since she's a dark type! Once she destroys it, hit it with your Mist Ball, and then destroy it with a combo attack from all of you, got it?" They nodded.

"Hey, I'm the only one who can tell Umbreon what to do!" Gary said. "Ahem. Umbreon, rise on Latias to the top of that machine and destroy that crystal! Since you're a Dark type, you can get the closest to it without getting hurt!" The others sweatdropped.

Latios quickly flew towards the machine and fired a Dragonbreath attack. The flame turret aimed downwards and fired a stream of fire, cancelling both attacks. "Want a Legendary? Come and get one!" Latios called as he began to fly in the direction of the forest.

"With pleasure!" Meowth said as the machine followed him. The net launchers began to fire a barrage of Plasma nets, the energy turrets launched multiple blasts and the sphere threw several sonic wind blasts. Latios began to frantically dodge the attacks, doing loops and twirls in the air as he desperately flew around the blasts, the sheer number of missiles beginning to overwhelm him. And the damn machine getting closer! Thankfully he didn't have to resist much longer as Latias hovered above the machine, Umbreon on her back.

"You sure about this?" Umbreon asked, not really looking forward to jumping onto a moving air machine.

"Yep," Latias said as she hovered over the machine, wincing at the dark waves the crystal was emitting. Umbreon sighed and dove towards the machine, powering up her Last Resort attack. Since the Machine was overwhelming them and this was their last plan, the attack worked nicely. She collided with the already cracked crystal, causing it to completely shatter, shaking the air machine and giving Latios time to move to a safe distance.

"I think we lost something," James commented.

An alarm began to beep inside the cabin as it signaled that the Dark Field was dissipating. The Rocket trio paled. Umbreon jumped off the machine as Latias quickly flew by, the Dark-Type landing safely in the dragon's back. Latias already had a fully charged Mist Ball in her claws. She flung it at the machine, covering its entire air space with a thick reddish mist.

Another alarm began to flare in the cabin. "We're losing power!" Meowth cried. "How is dat possible!"

"The rotors are weakening, the cannon's lost all energy and the sensors are shutting down. We're gonna crash!" James cried as the machine began to lose altitude, spinning out of control as the rotors lost power.

"Now!" Ash shouted. Latias took a deep breath and fired a Dragonbreath attack, Latios glowed brightly and fired a Luster Purge, Charizard took a deep breath and exhaled a potent Overheat attack, Pikachu's fired a powerful lightning bolt from the ground and Umbreon spat a Shadow Ball from Latias' back.

The attacks collided against the weakened airborne machine. It exploded violently from the sheer power behind all the attacks, flinging Team Rocket into the air. "Why did this happen!" Jessie cried as they hurtled into the distance. "I thought this was Team Rocket's ultimate war machine!"

"Well, you know what they say about false advertising…" James said wearily.

"We ought to sue dose guys for selling us such a crummy superweapon! That went just as badly as all our usual endeavors do! We coulda dug a hole and gotten da same results…AND saved more moolah!" Meowth said angrily.

"But we didn't," James said sadly. "And now…"

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried in unison as they disappeared over the horizon.

Everyone sighed in relief. Finally, they'd beat that thing. Once the Pokémon flew down, Umbreon jumped off of Latias' back. "As usual, their machine was thrashed yet again," Ash chuckled.

"I wonder when they'll learn," Misty said with a sigh, shaking her head. "At least we got a break from them for the entirety of the tournament."

"Yeah, I guess," Brock agreed. "Too bad it's over…"

"Well, I guess we should continue our ways, despite this minor setback," Ash said.

While the humans were talking, Umbreon glared at Pikachu. He chuckled nervously. "What?"

"You cheater," she snarled.

Pikachu's jaw dropped. "Me? What are you talking about?"

"Back at the battle we had, your trainer somehow saw through my Double Teams and told you where I was. That's cheating!" she said.

Pikachu chuckled. "That's…just an advantage we have."

"Don't give me that trash, it's called cheating," she said firmly. She grinned at him. "If it hadn't been for that, you would have never gotten past my Double Team."

"Yes I would have!" Pikachu argued back.

"We're tied one-to-one in victories. The next time we fight, it'll be the tiebreaker," Umbreon said confidently.

Pikachu nodded. "Very well."

"And we'll fight without trainer commands, just you and me, so your trainer can't use that ability of his," she continued. "I look forward to our next battle," she added, still grinning. Pikachu sighed, getting the feeling this wasn't going to end well. Latias and Latios couldn't help but chuckle at his predicament.

And with that, after some talking and farewell, the friends parted, Gary going back to Silver Town and Ash and his party continuing down the long road back to Pallet Town.

* * *

And finally, the chapter's done! Again I'm sorry for the delay, but school is very important (to my dismay).

And well, Team Rocket lost … OMG what a surprise…

Also, I hate to tell you all that "A New Chance At Life" will be ending soon, just a few more chapters to go… but, hold the tears of pain, because there will be a sequel! Yep, I will write Ash's journey in Hoenn in a sequel called: "A New Chance For Adventure" … On the final chapter of A New Chance At Life, I will tell you a little more about what to expect from the new adventure.

Anyway, Hope you all liked the Chapter. Goodbye an until next time! And please **REVIEW**! =D


	24. A Rainbow In The Sky

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: And here's chapter 24! Enjoy it!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

* * *

Finally back in the Kanto region after their long travels in Johto, Ash and his friends looked around as they entered Viridian City. It had taken a week or so of traveling to get here from Silver Town, and they had been forced to go through Goldenrod and Saffron City before at last getting to Viridian City. They had decided to make a small stop in Viridian before going to the route that would take them to their respective hometowns.

"Man, this place brings back memories," Ash commented, recalling the two previous times they had been in Viridian.

"Like how you and Pikachu pulverized an entire Pokémon Center and demolished the Viridian Gym?" Misty asked. Ash chuckled nervously.

"_Pikachu pulverized an entire Pokémon __Center?"_ Latios asked, rather curious. He was as usual floating above the group. Latias was in her human guise, since Bianca was gone.

"It was an accident…" Pikachu said, sulking on Ash's shoulder.

"_How did it happen?"_ Latias asked, looking at Ash and Pikachu curiously.

"Ugh, I don't feel like telling that story…just look at my memories if you want, it's faster that way," Ash said, permitting the dragons a quick intrusion into his mind.

Latias and Latios took a quick peek at Ash's memories. _"The same three idiots from before had something to do with it? Wow," _Latias giggled.

"_And you call that an accident__, Pikachu?"_ Latios questioned. Pikachu sulked even more.

"So, why the stop at the Pokémon Center?" Ash asked.

"Well, I want to call to the Cerulean Gym to see what's up. I wonder how my sisters have taken care of the Gym in my absence," Misty replied.

"Knowing them, they mi-" Brock started.

"Don't finish that sentence and get me all worried," Misty interrupted. Brock chuckled nervously.

"_It can't be that bad, can it?"_ Latias questioned.

"You don't know my sisters," Misty said flatly.

After a few minutes of walking, the reached the Pokémon Center. Once inside, Misty spotted the phones and walked over to them. The group followed… except for one of them.

"Heeeeeello Nurse Joy!" Brock said giddily as he leaned on the counter, grabbing the hands of the rather freaked out Nurse Joy there. "Remember me?" he asked hopefully, leaning closer to Joy and smiling at her.

"Latias, why aren't you stopping him?" Pikachu asked.

Latias blinked and looked at the counter where Brock was. _"I thought it was Misty's turn."_

Misty sweatdropped, shaking her head and looking at the counter in exasperation. "It was your turn, Latias."

Latias shook her head. _"No, I'm pretty sure it was your turn."_

"Sorry… who are you?" Nurse Joy asked nervously, pushing the squinty-eyed man a little back.

Brock turned chalk-white in terror. "You don't remember me!" he cried, sinking to the ground with an audible sob. "Whyyyyyy!" he called, as if awaiting an answer from the heavens.

Nurse Joy looked down, wondering what the hell was going on with the squinty-eyed man. Before she could react, Brock was already standing and leaning over the counter again. "How! How could you forget me, I was here the last time we visited this city!" he cried, remembering the time when they had come here so Ash could earn his eighth Kanto Gym Badge.

"Ah, maybe because I am a new Nurse Joy? The previous one got a promotion and left to work at another place," the current Joy explained.

Brock frowned. "That's explains why I couldn't remember Viridian City's Nurse Joy using the perfume you're wearing." He perked up. "That means I can get a fresh start!"

Nurse Joy started at him with a blank expression. "What?"

Suddenly Brock felt a searing pain from his ear as Misty yanked it and stomped off, dragging him away. "I better end this before it gets too awkward," she muttered to herself. "Or before we get banned from Pokémon Centers forever."

"It was just getting good!" Brock protested.

"Hence why I am ending it," Misty said, shaking her head angrily.

Nurse Joy sweatdropped. Ash walked up to her. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"That's okay, I've seen weirder guys," Nurse Joy said offhandedly. "And I've only been here a few months; you have no idea how weird some Pokémon trainers are."

"You'd be surprised," Ash said.

She looked him over and frowned. "A boy with a Pikachu… you're Ash Ketchum, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," Ash answered, wondering how the Nurse knew about him.

"Wait here, the previous Nurse Joy left something for you and your red-haired friend, Misty I believe she's called? I'll go and get it," Joy said, walking to the back rooms behind the counter.

"Wonder what it is?" Ash muttered.

He walked to the phones where Misty was beginning her call. After a few seconds her sister Daisy answered the phone. "Ah, hello Misty! Just who I wanted to talk to," she said. Misty got a very bad feeling from that. And why was Daisy wearing a straw hat, a Hawaiian shirt, and some sunglasses? And why were Violet and Lily busy packing stuff in the background?

"Okay, what's this about?" Misty asked.

"Guess what! We won a trip around the world!" Daisy exclaimed happily.

"Yay!" Both Violet and Lily screamed in the background.

"So, could you come and take care of the Cerulean Gym while we're gone?" Daisy asked.

"What," Misty said flatly, her eye twitching.

"Sorry Misty," Daisy apologized. "You're the best when it comes to Gym battles. When you're around, the Cerulean City Gym is a very tough challenge for trainers."

"But I'm traveling with my friends!" Misty protested.

"Someone has to take care of the Gym, and besides, you're Cerulean City's official Gym leader," Daisy countered. "We're leaving in two days! See you here by then. Well, I gotta go, too much left to pack." With that, the call ended, leaving a disheartened Misty staring at the blank screen.

"Great…" Misty began. "I knew they were going to do something stupid. Now I have to go and take care of the gym…"

"You have to go?" Ash asked, looking shocked. "But…you can't leave, Misty! You've been with me since day one! I…I can't imagine what it would be like without you…"

"Neither can I," Misty said miserably. "But I don't really have a choice in the matter."

"No, you don't," Brock said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You know Gym Leader duties come first. We'll miss you."

"Yeah. I think I'll even miss you yelling at me and telling me to pay you back for your bike…" Ash joked…until he suddenly realized he meant it. His heart sank.

"Thanks," Misty replied, smiling sadly.

"Here we go!" Nurse Joy called, coming out of the back room, dragging a bicycle. "My predecessor used her spare time to get it repaired. I believe it's yours, Misty."

"_What's up with the bike?"_ Latios asked, looking at the bicycle.

Pikachu laughed. "It's the reason Misty has been following Ash, because he…well I carbonized the bike." Both Latias and Latios stifled a laugh.

"Wow, it looks almost brand new…" Misty murmured, walking over to it.

Ash sighed in relief. "Awesome! That means I don't have to pay for it anymore." Misty glared at him. He chuckled nervously.

Misty took the bike by the handles and smiled. She and this old thing had been through quite a lot together… "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"No problem. Well, I have to get back to my duties," Joy said, walking back to the counter.

"You know… It's kinda hard to believe that our journey's over," Misty commented.

"Yeah, it seemed like it was just yesterday that we entered Johto to start Ash's road to the Silver Conference," Brock agreed, smiling wistfully at the memories.

They left the Pokémon Center, heading out of Viridian City. "So, what will you be doing, Brock?" Ash asked curiously as they hit the road once again.

"Well, I have to go and check on my siblings and see if the Gym has been under proper care," Brock answered. "Don't worry Ash, if everything is in order, I'll join you in Hoenn."

Ash smiled. "Thanks Brock."

"Yeah, but I won't…" Misty said quietly. Everyone else fidgeted and looked away.

"Latios, when you travel with Ash in Hoenn, don't let him lead the way or else you'll end up hopelessly lost," Brock reminded the blue eon Dragon after the awkward moment passed.

"_I'll keep that in mind,"_ Latios replied, causing Ash to glare at him.

"My navigation skills are not bad!" Ash said, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Ash, you'd get lost in a one-way road," Misty deadpanned. Everyone laughed while Ash fumed.

The group continued walking, chatting among themselves until they reached the point they had dreaded most, the crossroads that lead to their different cities, meaning it was time to say goodbye. They stared at each other sadly. "Well, I guess this is it…" Misty said sadly.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, looking down. He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want his friends to leave him. He didn't want to start a whole new adventure on his own…why did they have to go?

"Well Ash, I hope I can join you on your Hoenn journey," Brock told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Latias, Latios… make sure he doesn't do something stupid and get himself killed."

Ash fumed(Again). The eon Dragons laughed. _"Don't worry, we'll take care of him,"_ Latios promised.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here," Brock said, handing Ash the dragon training book he had gotten from Lance. "I scribbled some notes in the margins so it's easier to understand and put into practice. It's very interesting Ash. It can help you make Latias and Latios stronger."

"Thanks Brock! I really appreciate it," Ash said, taking the book.

"_Great, more painful exercises for me and Latias to do?"_ Latios grumbled telepathically. _"As long as it's no more rock lifting, I think I can manage."_

"_Or meditating… its so boring… and we have to do it almost every day…" _Latias added. Everyone sweatdropped.

"How enthusiastic you both are," Misty commented dryly. The twins laughed nervously. Misty sighed as she looked at her bike. "Well, goodbye and take care Ash. Good luck with the Hoenn League." _And please…be safe…_

"Thanks Misty," Ash said, smiling softly. "And good luck with the Gym."

Misty nodded. "Win the Hoenn League. You have two Legendaries with you; you just _have_ to win it!" '_I don't know if I could bear seeing your dreams shattered again.'_

"I will Misty, I will," Ash said, nodding proudly.

Misty turned and got on her newly repaired bike. "Good-bye, Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Latias, Latios." _Goodbye…my love…_ Much to her surprise, Latias hugged her. She blinked in surprise, and then blanched when she suddenly realized the Eon dragon must have heard everything she was thinking of. But her horror faded when Latias pulled back and met her gaze with a sad look of understanding…and Misty reluctantly admitted that Ash would be in good hands. She smiled, trying her hardest not to cry. Surely she could hold the tears back for just a few more minutes?

"Goodbye, Misty," Brock said as he turned to walk down the road that led to Pewter City. "Goodbye Ash. Take care. I'll meet you in Hoenn, hopefully. Goodbye Latios, Latias, and you too Pikachu," Brock called, waving farewell.

"_Goodbye, take care!"_ Latios replied.

"_Bye!"_ Latias shouted telepathically as well.

"Bye! Try not to get into women-related problems Brock!" Pikachu advised.

"He can't understand you," Latios reminded him.

"So? I said it and that's what counts," the Electric-type countered. Latios sweatdropped. With that, both Brock and Misty headed for their respective cities…and away from Ash.

"Goodbye!" Ash called one last time, waving. He stared after them until they faded from view, then reluctantly turned and began to walk in the direction of Pallet Town. "I'm…I'm gonna miss them…" he whispered sadly, lowering his gaze and trying to hide his tears from his Pokémon.

"It's okay Ash," Latios said, hovering behind Ash and putting a claw on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll see them again soon."

"_Yeah, and besides, you have us to keep you company,"_ Latias reminded him, in a bright shower of blue sparkles, resumed her true form. She immediately turned invisible, in case they ran into another traveler or trainer.

"What was that for?" Ash asked.

"I don't want to walk, flying is easier," she answered.

"Can't I fly, too?" Ash complained.

"I could take you if you want," Latios offered.

"It's tempting…" Ash admitted. "But no, I…think I need to walk this off."

Latios winced, both seeing and feeling how depressed this turn of events was making Ash. "Suit yourself," he conceded with a shrug. "So, uh, what's your hometown like?"

"It's a very nice and nature-friendly town. It's really peaceful and quiet. You two will like it!" Ash replied, some of the life flowing back into him at the thought of his hometown.

"I'm sure we will," Latias agreed. "So, how long until we reach it?"

"Shouldn't be too long, about an hour walking," Ash answered.

"I'm really curious to see it if it's as peaceful and nice as you say it is," Latias commented. "Latios and I like peaceful places like that."

"Kinda like Altomare?" Ash asked, thinking back to the island city.

"Yeah," Latias answered. "Altomare is a very peaceful place."

"If it's so peaceful, why does it need two Legendary Pokémon guardians and a huge machine to protect it?" Pikachu wondered.

There was a rather long and awkward pause. "Well, _now _it doesn't need us, but around the time of our father it was a rather chaotic place," Latios answered, chuckling nervously.

"Ah," both Pikachu and Ash chorused.

"So, when are the registrations for the Hoenn League opening?" Pikachu asked, trying to get both his and Ash's minds off the ache in the Misty and Brock-shaped holes in their hearts.

"I think in about two weeks or so…We'll stay a few days in Pallet before going to Hoenn. By the time we arrive, we should be able to register," Ash answered. "I told my mom to buy tickets."

"You took into account that me and Latias want to go to Altomare first, right?" Latios asked.

Ash smiled. "Of course I did! We'll take a ferry to Altomare, and from there we'll go to Hoenn."

"Thanks a lot, Ash," Latios said.

"You're welcome Latios," Ash replied. He too wondered how the island city had been these last months. He knew that it was a very important place to the Eon twins, and was more than happy to visit for their sakes.

Latias turned to look a bit to the side and hovered off the main road, heading into the woods. "Latias? Where are you going?" Ash asked, walking after the red eon dragon.

"I'm a little hungry and I smell some berries nearby," Latias answered. "Pecha berries, to be precise. I _love_ those."

Latios laughed. "I remember when we were younger she'd try to steal a few from Altomare's marketplace whenever they were in season."

Ash and Pikachu laughed. "She did?" Ash asked, amused by the revelation.

"Yeah. I scolded her for stealing, and Lorenzo made sure from that day forward to buy extra Pecha berries whenever he got groceries," Latios replied, still laughing.

"Oh dear…you remember the way back to the road, right Latios?" Ash asked nervously.

"Yes, I do," Latios answered. Ash sighed in relief.

They followed to a small clearing with a few trees, many of which had plenty of juicy berries growing on them. Latias grinned_. 'It's been a while since I last ate some…'_ she mused before dropping her invisibility and flying up to the trees. She began searching for the ripe and ready-to-eat Pechas.

"Well, I guess I'll get some too while I'm here," Latios muttered before flying up to the tree.

"Hey!" Ash called. "Get some for me as well!"

"And me too!" Pikachu called. Latios chuckled and nodded.

Ash ran up to the base of the tree as Latias and Latios used their Psychic powers to collect a good handful of berries. Once they had a sizeable amount of them, they floated back to the base of the tree and levitated a few of the berries to Ash and Pikachu. "Careful," Latias advised. "They are rather soft and tender. Don't squeeze them."

"Okay," Ash said as he carefully grabbed the levitating berries, taking them from Latias.

Latias eagerly began to eat them. "Mmm...so sweet! And delicious… it's certainly been a while since I had some, and they taste the best when fresh from the tree."

"Yeah, they aren't half bad," Latios agreed.

"Wow, so good!" Ash moaned.

"Yeah," Pikachu added, thoroughly enjoying them.

After the group finished eating their berries, they stayed there for a while under the shade of the tree. Ash smiled as he leaned back against the tree, thinking of the journeys that he'd had and were still to come. He had to admit that he was a little nervous, going to a new region without his regular traveling companions. He sighed, wondering how he was going to take on this new challenge without Brock and Misty. "Hey! Don't look so down!" Latias chided, startling Ash out of his melancholy. "You'll do fine, don't worry!"

"Thanks, Latias," Ash said.

A shrill and beautiful cry interrupted them, causing them to turn to the sky. Ash's eyes widened in clear surprise. _'That cry… I know that sound… it's…' _

They turned to the sky as from behind a group of clouds _Ho-Oh_ emerged, flying gracefully across the sky, her body giving a magnificent and beautiful golden glow as she left a rainbow behind her. "Wow…" Ash muttered, unable to take his eyes off the Fire-type Legendary Pokémon for even a second.

"It's been a while since I saw her…" Latios muttered, also looking at the sky in awe.

"_HELLO HO-OH!"_ Latias yelled with her full telepathic might, causing Ash, Latios and Pikachu to wince as they got a massive headache from the psychic cry.

Ho-Oh seemed to have heard the dragon's call as she craned her neck slightly, looking down and noticing the small group. She recognized the human she had blessed on his starting day, and gave a small surprised gasp at seeing Latias and Latios with him. She hummed. _'Interesting…' _She turned and began to glide down to the clearing. It was very unusual that Latios and Latias would leave their home…and what were they doing with that human?

Ash, Pikachu and Latios' jaws dropped as they saw Ho-Oh turn their way and actually begin to fly toward them. Latias gave a satisfied nod. "So much for my 'Lady Ho-Oh' respect…" Latios muttered, glancing at Latias. She grinned sweetly. Latios rolled his eyes.

"Does she know Ho-Oh?" Ash asked curiously.

"Yes," Latios answered. "We both do."

"But… I thought Latias hadn't left Altomare until I got there," Ash said, turning to look at Latios.

"Yeah, but I didn't tell you the whole story back at the lake in Silver Town. I'll explain later," Latios answered as Ho-Oh neared them, her large wings making a large gust of air as she landed gracefully in the clearing.

"Greetings," Ho-Oh said, giving a low bow to the foursome, her voice a gentle and beautiful cry that brought warmth to those around her.

"H-Hello," Ash greeted timidly. Ho-Oh was a lot more imposing and massive up close than she was in the sky a few miles away. Latias giggled.

"Hello," Pikachu greeted uneasily, also not sure how to address the Legendary.

"Greetings Lady Ho-Oh," Latios returned the greeting, bowing in respect.

"Hi Ho-Oh!" Latias said casually. They sweatdropped.

Ho-Oh smiled as best as her beak would allow. _'They still haven't changed after all these years...Latias so cheery and carefree, and Latios so mature and respectful…'_ she thought in amusement. "You know I don't mind it Latios, you don't have to call me that."

"That's okay, it's my way of paying respect," Latios replied.

"May I ask," Ho-Oh began. "Why you two are so far from Altomare, your home, and with a Pokémon trainer no less?"

Ash gulped nervously, wondering if Ho-Oh might get mad that he had captured Latios. Latios smiled. "It's a rather long story, but he didn't capture us. We willingly chose to follow him. There's nothing to worry about."

"Alright," Ho-Oh said, nodding. "You chose an admirable human to bond with." Ash blushed slightly at the praise. "But are you certain your home is safe in your absence?"

"Yes, I made sure of it," Latios answered.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt," Ash spoke up. "But… how is it that you all know each other? I'm confused."

"Yeah, me too," Pikachu said.

"May I tell them?" Latios asked, looking at the Rainbow Pokémon.

"Go right ahead," Ho-Oh answered with a nod.

"Well Ash," Latios began. "Latias and I, as you know, have lived as orphans. Lady Ho-Oh, once she learned of our birth and the conditions of it, occasionally came to Altomare to check up on us and make sure we were okay. Also, all the knowledge I have of other Legendary Pokémon or other things in general she's the one that has taught me."

"Wow…" an astonished Ash muttered. "How occasionally did she visit?"

"Once every few years or so," Latios answered.

"You call that occasionally?" Ash questioned, astounded.

"Yep," Latios replied with a chuckle.

"Well," Ho-Oh spoke up. "I did take more time to go and check up on them in their early youth. As Latios became more mature and confident, my visits were required less, but I still took time to see how they were doing every now and then."

"But then why doesn't Latias know as much as you do if she visited you both?" Ash asked.

"That's because Latias found her 'lectures' boring, and decided to go off and play somewhere else whenever she started talking," Latios answered. Latias laughed Mareepishly, an apologetic look on her face. "But I stayed with Lady Ho-Oh to learn from her, even staying up longer than usual just to hear her stories and teachings. Whenever I could, I took to teaching what I learned to Latias, when I got her to listen anyways."

Ho-Oh chuckled. "That you did Latios, it was nice to have some listening ears."

"See sis, you should be a little more mature like me," Latios told Latias. She giggled, her features clearly saying 'never'.

Ho-Oh laughed slightly, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Well my dear Latios, I really hate to tell you this, but, it's YOU who should be acting like her," she chided, an almost teasing tone in her voice.

"What?" Latios questioned, horrified. Latias, Ash and Pikachu burst into laughter. "But...Why!" Latios cried, utterly terrified at the concept.

"That's because, compared to some other Legendaries, you two are barely children. Let her act as she wishes Latios, that's why I never said a thing when she chose to go off and play," Ho-Oh explained. "The reason you act like you do is because of your choice to force yourself to become a parental figure for your sister, which I find admirable," Ho-Oh answered, hiding an amused laugh at Latios' shocked face. "If you would have grown up with your mother, though, you might right now be just like your sister."

Latias giggled happily, imagining her brother being as carefree and childish as she was. Oh, it was such a hilarious mental image! "Well, _that's_ interesting," Ash muttered, gazing playfully at Latios. He chuckled nervously.

"Now I have a question," Ho-Oh stated.

"Go ahead Lady Ho-Oh," Latios replied, wondering what Ho-Oh could want.

"I have noticed that Ash can understand us perfectly, and that his eyes shine with an all too familiar power. I can sense a very peculiar power within him. Care to explain, Latios?" Ho-Oh questioned, looking directly at Latios.

"Err… How do I put it…" Latios mumbled, he paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. "You see, a few months ago, Latias and I had a rather unpleasant run in with some poachers in Altomare, which coincidentally was around the same time Ash was in town. After the poachers put the city in grave danger and destroyed the Soul Dew, I was forced to give up my life to save the city and everyone in it…but Latias recalled one of the teachings you gave us—well, that I taught to her after you taught it to me-and we used Ash's soul to save my own. Since neither me nor Latias wanted him to die, I gave him a part of my soul to save his. That's why he's changed a little."

"Ah, you got into a near death situation involving a Legendary again, Ash?" Ho-Oh asked.

Ash chuckled nervously. "Yeah, pretty much."

Ho-Oh shook her head. "You seem to have a knack for that…" she commented, Ash laughed Mareepishly, not sure if it was a compliment or a reprimand. Ho-Oh gave a low hum. _'So, now Ash has the powers of a Legendary Pokémon slowly growing within him… astounding! The boy was already born with an exceedingly powerful Aura. Add Latios' powers to that, and…oh dear, this will get interesting later on…'_ Ho-Oh thought, surprised by this new information.

"So after that, we decided we wanted to travel with him," Latios finished. "And here we are."

"That was noble of both of you," Ho-Oh said. "To save each other's lives."

"Yeah," Latios agreed. "He gave me a new chance at life."

"And you returned the favor," Pikachu commented.

"Well, I am grateful to you Ash," Ho-Oh added. "I care dearly for both Latias and Latios, and I would have been greatly aggrieved if anything should have happened to them."

All of them blushed. "Aw, shucks," Latias said.

"It was nothing, Ho-Oh," Ash said. "I'd do the same thing if they were ever in trouble again. I care a lot for them too."

"So I can see," Ho-Oh began. "I can only hope that you will not be called upon to do it again, though. You may not survive should a repeat performance be required."

"Let's hope it never comes to that," Latios said as worried looks crossed Ash, Latias, and Pikachu's faces.

"Yes, let's," Ho-Oh agreed. She stood up straight. "Well, it was lovely seeing you all, but I'm afraid I must be off now. I have a small matter to attend to in the Hoenn Region."

"Alright," Latias said. "It was nice to see you again, Ho-Oh."

"Yeah, hope to see you again soon Lady Ho-Oh," Latios followed.

"Goodbye," Pikachu and Ash chorused, still amazed to have gotten to talk to a Legendary like Ho-Oh in person.

The Rainbow Pokémon spread her wings, her feathers shining with the colors of the rainbow. "It was a pleasure to talk to you Ash. May you forge a deep bond with Latias and Latios. I offer you my blessings. Good luck on the journeys you have ahead of you." With that, Ho-Oh flapped her massive wings and rose to the air, and with a final nod, she began to fly away.

"It was amazing meeting her…" Ash mumbled.

"Yeah," Pikachu agreed.

"Think we'll see her again Latios?" Ash asked.

"Of course we will Ash, maybe sooner than we think. She cares about us too much to just disappear…" Latios answered, never taking his gaze off the Rainbow Pokémon as she faded in the distance… "_All _of us_"._

_

* * *

_

Giovanni sat at his rather expensive desk, looking at various reports and files, occasionally typing something into his computer. His Persian was curled up beside his chair, snoring softly. A small beep was heard from a voicebox as his secretary spoke up. "Master Giovanni, Professor Sebastian wishes to speak to you. He says it's a matter of great importance."

Giovanni pushed a button. "Let him in," he said, wondering what the professor wanted.

A few seconds later, the scientist entered the office. "Greetings, Master Giovanni," Professor Sebastian said respectfully.

Giovanni nodded. "What is it you wish to report? My secretary implied it was important."

"Sir, I am proud to inform you that we have finished fabricating the other four as you had requested. The project is complete!" Professor Sebastian announced.

Giovanni smirked, clearly pleased. "Very well. Have they been tested?"

"Yes, all field tests were a complete and absolute success. So far, they have proved perfect in most respects," the professor informed. "Recordings of the field tests and its results should be in your personal database by now."

Giovanni nodded and pressed the button on his voicebox. "Excellent, Professor. Have field agents Iron-Masked Marauder and Tyson escaped prison yet?"

"Yes sir, The Iron-Masked Marauder escaped a few weeks ago and is back to active service after failing his mission to capture the Legendary Pokémon Celebi. Tyson escaped recently as well after his failed assignment in the Lake of Rage," the secretary responded.

"Very well," Giovanni said. _'Failures, failures, failures… well, with this new Project…nothing will stop Team Rocket again!'_ "Professor, arrange a meeting for tomorrow at eleven AM. Prepare your five creations for active use. Tomorrow I will assign what to do with them," Giovanni said. He took a list from his desk and handed it to the Professor. "I want all those agents in the meeting."

Professor Sebastian nodded and took the list. "Interesting… there are mostly elite members…" he murmured as he examined the paper. "As you wish Boss. I'll see that all the preparations are made." He turned and left the office.

Giovanni nodded._ 'At last… Soon, I will have the power to make the world mine, and no one who stands in my way will survive!'_

_

* * *

_

Wow, Chapter 24 is finished! =D

Hope you all liked it! Especially the moment with Ho-Oh, I recall in the anime Ash saw her before he went to Hoenn, so I decided to make the meeting all the more special. I hope you enjoyed Ash talking with a new Legendary besides the eon twins.

Also brace yourselves because next chapter I will reveal Team Rocket's new toys! You shall all soon see what I have planned for the future. *Disturbing Evil laugh*

AND, I started a new Pokémon fanfic called "Gods and Mortals." Be sure to check it out! So far, its main characters are Ash, Arceus and Mew. It's rather enjoyable. =D

Well, without anything more to say, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011! And leave a **REVIEW!**=D


	25. Prelude Of The Dark

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: Here's chapter 25! Enjoy it! =D

Sorry for the rather long delay…I've been very busy, but despite those setbacks, this chapter is finally here! Enjoy!

Also, I'd like to thank my Beta Reader **Ri2** for all his help editing and checking up on all my chapters. He really does a wonderful job and he's helped me a lot in making this Fanfic so good. Many thanks, my dear friend! You're awesome!

Now for the chapter!

* * *

Latias couldn't help but smile at Ash as he walked towards Pallet Town. Meeting Ho-Oh had certainly lifted the boy's spirits, and he was now in a more peaceful and happy mood. Yes, he was still sad about the departure of his friends, but at least he wasn't as depressed as he had been before talking to the Rainbow Pokémon. Also, the prospect that they were getting near his hometown was helping a lot, too. "I see meeting Ho-Oh put you in a good mood," Latias commented, tugging Ash's sleeve while smiling gently at him.

"I guess. Meeting her was simply…amazing," Ash replied.

Latias giggled. "That's all you can say?"

"Well, no…it's just that…meeting her was so incredible that I can't really describe how it made me feel. It was just so awesome…" Ash said, pausing to think out his reply. "And it was also cool to know she's so close to you two," he added, smiling back at her.

"I wonder…you said she went to the secret garden to check up on you and to teach you stuff, right?" Pikachu asked.

"Yep," Latios confirmed. "Why?"

"Well, she's a rather large Pokémon…how did she enter the garden?" Pikachu asked, clearly confused. Ash nodded in agreement, puzzled over the matter as well.

"She just flew in, how else?" Latios answered. Both Ash and Pikachu stared at him in disbelief. Latios tried to elaborate. "She entered the garden around two or three in the morning so no one saw her. During our youth, she'd stay the entire day and not leave until early in the morning the next day. When we grew up, she'd come by for an hour or so to check on us and then leave."

"Didn't the garden have a roof?" Pikachu asked. "Or did it? I never really thought to look…"

"Neither did I," Ash said, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well, it has the _illusion_ of a roof so the garden can't be seen from above. It's kinda like the illusion of the entrances, but bigger. Sunlight can enter and help the extensive plant life of the garden to grow while shielding the garden from foreign eyes. Lady Ho-Oh just flew through the illusion," Latios explained.

"Ah," Ash said. "I can't understand how we missed that."

"Me neither," Pikachu agreed. Latias and Latios laughed, happy that their home had so many surprises, and even more happy at the thought that they were going to go there soon.

"Anyway, it's _my_ turn to impress you two with my hometown," Ash said.

"Your home doesn't have cool waterways, a huge secret garden, lots of illusions or two Guardian Legendaries," Pikachu commented. A vein of irritation appeared on Ash's forehead.

Latias giggled. "I'm sure you'll manage to impress us anyway, Ash."

"Yeah, Pallet Town is a very beautiful town," Pikachu admitted. "You two will love it."

"Yeah," Ash agreed.

Pikachu noticed something and hopped off Ash's shoulder and walked back a bit. Ash noticed and turned around. "What's up, Pikachu?" he asked. The eon dragons turned to look at the Electric-Type.

"Yep, it was around here," Pikachu commented, looking around the area.

"What was around here?" Latias asked, looking confused.

"Ash, don't you have a promise to fulfill?" Pikachu asked, tilting his head and smiling.

Ash stared at Pikachu blankly. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

Pikachu's jaw dropped. "You forgot!" He exclaimed. "Well…that doesn't really surprise me."

"What!" Ash demanded.

"What are you two talking about?" Latios wondered. Latias looked between Ash and Pikachu, blinking in confusion.

"Don't you two dare read our minds now, keep out!" Pikachu told them. Latias and Latios looked at each other, more confused than ever. They decided to respect the Electric-type's wish and restrained themselves from reading either Ash or Pikachu's minds to know what was going on.

"Err… I made a promise?" Ash asked.

"Yes," Pikachu deadpanned. He sighed and gave a small chuckle. "Seeing as you've forgotten, let me refresh your memory. In the forest between Viridian City and Pallet Town, you released a certain Pokémon before departing for the Orange islands. You promised that certain Pokémon you'd return…Remember now?"

Ash paused, thinking back to his adventures over a year and a half ago, a far off look in his reddish eyes. A few seconds later he remembered. "Pidgeot…" he muttered softly, a fond smile tugging at his lips. "It's been a while since I saw him…"

"Her," Pikachu corrected, chuckling slightly.

Ash paused, a look of confusion on his features. "What?"

Pikachu laughed. "Why I am not surprised you're oblivious to this? Your Pidgeot is a _she_."

"Ah…" Ash muttered in surprise.

"It was around here where she fought off that Fearow to protect the flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto. You left her to take care of that flock. Once the flock became strong enough to fend for themselves, she'd wait here for your return… You promised Pidgeot you'd come back for her," Pikachu said.

"Right… I feel horrible for forgetting her…" Ash muttered.

"It's not too late to search her. You're only a year or so late," Pikachu commented. Ash sulked. "You promised you'd come back after the trips to the Orange Islands."

Ash sighed. "Why didn't you remind me!"

"Mainly because you couldn't understand me," Pikachu replied flatly.

"Oh, right…understanding Pokémon is certainly amazing! I love it," Ash commented. He frowned. "Think she'll be mad at me for forgetting her?"

"Yes, but I'm sure she'll appreciate seeing you again," Pikachu replied. Ash smiled in relief, trusting the Electric-Type's words.

"That's certainly interesting," Latios commented, looking at the exchange with bemusement.

"Yeah, guess that means we'll take a detour to find this Pokémon of yours, Ash," Latias added.

"Yeah," Ash replied, smiling softly. "I wonder how she's been after all this time."

"After she beat the Fearow, she became leader of the flock," Pikachu informed them. "You would have known, but, you couldn't understand her, so…"

"Yeah…" Ash mumbled. "I wonder how she'll take my ability to talk to Pokémon?"

"She'll probably be thrilled, like almost all of us, your Pokémon, were," Pikachu replied.

"Well let's hurry! You said she should be around these parts, so let's go!" Ash said, walking off the road and into the woods. His Pokémon followed him.

Pikachu smiled. "This forest brings so many memories… like Ash throwing a rock to try and catch a Spearow," he commented. An irritated vein appeared on Ash's forehead. Latios and Latias stifled a laugh. "Or…Misty fishing Ash from a river…" Again, an even more annoyed look crossed Ash's face. The Eon dragons barely contained their laughter. "And you… using some rubber gloves to drag me around."

"You wouldn't listen to me!" Ash countered. The eon dragons couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing hysterically.

"Well…" Pikachu began. He couldn't take it and started laughing along with the eon dragons.

Ash sighed in frustration. "You three are impossible."

"We know it," all three Pokémon said at the same time. Ash groaned in despair.

"Well," Latias began. "Ash didn't make a mistake with the Spearow thing…"

"I didn't?" Ash questioned in confusion.

"Well, you threw a rock at it, and Rock is super-effective against Flying-Types," Latias joked.

"Ash used Rock Throw!" Pikachu cried. The three Pokémon laughed. Ash muttered about annoying and disrespectful Pokémon under his breath, increasing the laughter from his friends.

"Well that was certainly fun," Pikachu commented once the laughter died down.

"Yeah," Latias agreed.

"Yeah," Ash agreed sarcastically. Latias giggled. "It was my first day as a trainer so…It's forgivable," he countered.

"I doubt other trainers did things as stupid as that," Pikachu commented dryly.

Ash paused. "Er…who knows?"

Pikachu rolled his eyes. "Anyway…Latias, Latios, can you sense any Pidgeot nearby?"

Both dragons did a quick mental scan of the area…only to get dizzy and a nice headache. "Owww…" Latios moaned, clutching his head. Latias wasn't doing any better.

"What's wrong now?" Pikachu asked with a frown.

"There are too many Pokémon nearby. Finding a single mind out of all them is too difficult," Latios answered. "They kinda overloaded our mental senses. If we had tried to search for a few more seconds, it could have knocked us out."

"Yeah," Latias lamented.

"Finding her will be a lot harder than I thought, then," Ash commented, looking around in the unsuccessful hope of finding Pidgeot.

"Want us to search from the air?" Latias offered. "We might be unable to search mentally, but we can at least try the old-fashioned way."

"Sure," Ash agreed. "Be careful."

"Alright," the eon dragons chorused. They turned invisible for safety and took off for the sky.

"Think they'll find her?" Ash wondered.

"I hope so. Let's keep looking too," Pikachu suggested.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. The bushes beside them twitched. They turned. "What's that, Pikachu?"

"Probably a few Beedrill," he answered. The Electric-Type paused. "Run." They ran frantically as a bunch of Beedrill emerged from the woods and angrily buzzed after them.

"We're lucky today, aren't we?" Ash commented sarcastically as they ran away.

"You think?" Pikachu retorted in annoyance.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. The Electric-Type nodded as his cheeks sparked. He released a potent blast of electricity, shocking a few of the Beedrill and dropping them to the ground. Seeing that they had already chased the human out of their territory and that the Pikachu was rather strong, the rest deemed that it was unnecessary to chase them and decided to withdraw.

"That did the trick," Pikachu commented as the swarm of Beedrill flew away.

Little did they know that they had attracted some _very_ unwanted attention. A Fearow soaring at the canopy level of the trees saw an electrical blast in the distance. He frowned and went to inspect it. His mind was immediately clouded in rage and bloodlust when he saw the very human he despised the most standing below him, the same human that had hit him with a rock, defeated him, causing the flock he was leader of to deem him too weak and expel him. That human was going pay dearly for all that. "I'll rip you apart!" He screamed, completely enraged as he dove at Ash with an Aerial Ace.

Ash turned as he heard a very angry shriek, and was terrified to see a Fearow flying at colossal speeds toward him. He knew instinctually that the hit from that long spear-like beak at those speeds would severely injure him…maybe even worse. He closed his eyes, awaiting the dreaded impact and the pain that would follow…and instead heard the Fearow screech in pain. He opened his eyes and was deeply relieved to see the Fearow recoiling after a rather hard crash against Pikachu's Iron Tail. He had been so focused in hitting Ash that he had forgotten completely about the Electric-Type. "Thanks, buddy," Ash said gratefully. "I owe you one!"

"You're welcome," Pikachu said as he landed in front of him, smiling at his friend. He turned to the Fearow. "What's your problem!" He demanded, glaring at him.

"That's none of your business!" The Fearow spat angrily, now sporting a nice cut on his chest.

"Ash is my best friend and trainer, you attacking him makes it _my_ business," Pikachu countered, his cheeks sparking dangerously.

"Ah, right, you're the human's Pikachu…" the Fearow mumbled, remembering the Electric-Type.

"Are you crazy? You could have hurt my friend badly with that attack!" Pikachu yelled angrily.

The Fearow chuckled darkly. "Who said I wanted to hurt him? I wanted to _kill_ him." Ash shivered in terror. Pikachu glared at the Fearow dangerously.

"I'd like to see you try again…" Pikachu said, crouching low to the ground as his cheeks sparked more violently than ever, ready to attack the Fearow at any given second.

"Why!" Ash demanded, terrified at the death threat.

"You ruined my life," the Fearow answered. "You attacked me when I was a Spearow, and then you made my flock exile me!"

"While I admit that Ash's attack with a rock when you were a Spearow was uncalled for, sheez, it was just a rock, get over it you crybaby," Pikachu said. "And you losing your position as leader wasn't anyone's fault but your own."

"What? How dare you!" the Fearow cried, clearly angered.

"If you hadn't been fed up over that rock thing, you wouldn't have attacked that Pidgey and Pidgeotto flock, and if you hadn't attacked them, Pidgeot would never have beat the crap out of you, and thus you might still be the their leader. Don't blame Ash for _your_ stupid mistakes," Pikachu continued.

"I don't care, it's his entire fault no matter what you say you pesky Rattata…and I'll make him pay for it!" the Fearow bellowed as he dove at Ash and Pikachu._ 'Fighting an Electric-Type isn't a good idea…I'd better kill the human first and take advantage of the Pikachu's grief to kill him afterwards,' _the Fearow thought as he flew towards them.

"Pikachu, stop him with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered, glad that he had Pikachu's protection. _'I sure picked a good moment to agree to send Latias and Latios away…but at least Pikachu should be strong enough to beat Fearow. Due to my soul-connection thing with Latios, he should have sensed my earlier fear by now, so he's probably on his way here…but Pikachu should be done by the time he gets here,'_ Ash thought.

Fearow smirked as he got an idea to bypass Pikachu to get to Ash. _'Human… you're dead.'_

Pikachu fired an electric strike at the incoming flying type. The Fearow used double team, creating several dozen copies of him. The Electric attack vaporized a few of the copies, but the remaining birds made no move to attack Pikachu, much to the Electric-Type's confusion. When he saw the Fearows getting ready to fly towards Ash, he realized Fearow's plan. He made a quick decision, releasing a colossal electrical blast skywards, causing all the Fearow to disappear as the attack dispelled them. However, before the attack hit, Pikachu didn't notice one of them disappearing with Aerial Ace. Pikachu gasped as he saw that the last one was heading towards Ash. _'Damn! He passed me!'_ he thought, utterly baffled.

Ash gasped as he saw the Fearow charging at him, his beak beginning to spin like a drill as he used Drill Peck. _'I'm gonna rip you apart!" _the Fearow thought excitedly. Ash quickly began to reach for Cyndaquil's Pokeball, but Fearow was coming too fast, he would never be able to reach it time. Fearow would have smirked if his beak wasn't spinning. _'Too slow!'_

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" A female voice shrieked in pure rage. For the second time that day, Ash's life was saved as the Fearow was hit with colossal force in the side, sending him spiraling away and ripping the tree he collided against apart. Pikachu grimaced, sure that had hurt…and he was certain the Fearow must have broken a bone or two.

Pidgeot landed gracefully as her Steel Wing/Aerial Ace combo ended, setting herself in front of the stunned Ash. She grinned, though it wasn't very noticeable through her beak. "Ash! You're back! I knew you'd come back some day! I'm so happy to see you!" she cooed sweetly as she tackled Ash playfully. Due to the fact that she was much bigger than him, Ash fell backwards with the Flying type on top of him. Pidgeot nuzzled him lovingly and gave him happy pecks on his cheek now and then, wrapping her large wings around him in a hug.

Ash gave a small cry as Pidgeot's pecks drew a bit of blood, looks like she forgot the beak... "Ack, Pidgeot, stop, you're hurting me!"

Ignoring his pleas, Pidgeot pulled him into a close hug, resting her head on his neck and closing her eyes. "I'm so happy you came back, I missed you!"

"I missed you too, and I'm very glad you stopped pecking me. Sorry it took so long, but, yeah, I'm back," Ash responded with a wince of pain, wrapping his arms around her neck.

Pikachu smiled at the sweet reunion. He heard a rustle and turned to see the bruised and beaten Fearow trying to stand up. "Oww…that…h-hurt…" he groaned. "Ugh…not that bitch again…"

Pikachu shook his head in annoyance and walked up to him. _'Sorry, you're not interrupting this moment,'_ he thought as he used a Thunderbolt to knock out the Fearow. "That will teach you not to mess with us." Pidgeot and Ash didn't notice.

"Thanks for saving me," Ash said gratefully as he parted the hug.

"No problem," Pidgeot replied as she got off Ash, hopping backwards to allow him to stand up. Ash smiled and dusted himself off as he stood up.

"So, how is your flock doing?" Ash asked.

Pidgeot smiled. "They aren't my flock anymore," she answered.

"You're no longer the leader? How come?" Ash asked.

"I was only the leader while the flock needed my protection from the Fearows and Spearows. When more Pidgeottos evolved into Pidgeots, I was no longer needed, so I passed my leadership on. Also, I knew you'd come back, so I decided to not let the flock become too dependant on me, though I still lived with them, and am the strongest member of the flock," she explained. "Right now, they're strong on their own, and no longer need me."

"Ahh, interesting…" Ash commented. "Its nice to hear that your flock is okay after all this time."

Pidgeot frowned when she realized something. "Err…you're understanding me…perfectly? How are you doing that!"

Ash grinned. "After a recent adventure I had with two Legendary Pokémon, I gained the ability to talk to Pokémon. And speaking of which…"

"We're back! Sorry it took so long!" Latios cried as he appeared, leaves and branches draped over his body from ignoring bushes in his rush to get back to Ash as fast as possible.

"Yeah sorry!" Latias said frantically as she too emerged from the woods, looking perfectly fine, her smaller body allowing her to maneuver though the trees much easier than Latios' larger form. "Are you okay Ash! Latios told me he sensed a massive amount of fear from you." They looked around, wondering where the possible threat was.

Everyone sweatdropped. "You two are, like, one hour late," Pikachu joked, rolling his eyes. "And why are you so messed up Latios? Why didn't you two fly over the forest?"

The eon twins laughed nervously. "We took so long because on our way back, some damn Beedrill swarm got in our way, and we had to escape by flying under the tree's cover…but it didn't go so good on my end…" Latios explained.

"Ash was almost killed two times while two were away," Pikachu scolded them. The eon twins fidgeted guiltily.

"Latias, Latios, meet Pidgeot, my third Pokémon. She's been with me since my first days as a trainer," Ash said, motioning to Pidgeot. "Pidgeot, meet Latias and Latios, two of my new Pokemon. They're both Legendaries. There are some others you'd probably like to meet, but you'll get to know them once we get back to Pallet."

Pidgeot bowed respectfully. "Legendary Pokémon? I am pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Latios said.

"Nice to meet you too!" Latias said cheerily, enjoying the prospect of a new friend.

"Where were you two?" Pidgeot asked, finding it odd that they had been away from Ash.

"Looking for you, but we failed miserably," Latios answered.

"You got that right," Pikachu mumbled. Latios glared at him.

"What was trying to kill Ash?" Latias asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"The Fearow that Ash threw the rock at," Pikachu answered. The twins got annoyed looks. "But before you two think of punishing him or something like that for attacking Ash, remember you arrived late to the party; Pidgeot already beat the crap out of him...in one blow."

"Again," Pidgeot said offhandedly. "Even after he was exiled, he has been trying to get his revenge on me, but he's been failing miserably. That's why I was around these parts actually, it's been a while since he tried something, I came to see what was he up to, and when I saw him attacking Ash… well, you know the rest."

"I hope he's learned his lesson," Ash commented.

"I doubt he will," Pidgeot muttered, shaking her head sadly.

"They never do," Pikachu agreed.

"So, how have your adventures been going, Ash?" Pidgeot asked curiously.

"Fairly good," Ash answered.

"Yeah, he's stopped being as clumsy as he was when he started. He's gotten much better," Pikachu said.

"Yeah," Ash agreed… "Wait… clumsy! What's that supposed to mean!" he questioned angrily. All his Pokémon laughed.

"Exactly what it sounded like," Pikachu answered.

"Is he still as reckless as he was when he started out? He really worried me with some of his antics…" Pidgeot asked.

"Yes, he is," Pikachu answered with a chuckle.

"Hey!" Ash yelled. All his Pokémon laughed yet again. Teasing Ash was so fun!

Pidgeot giggled, she was as happy as ever that she could talk to Ash now. "Ohh, I can't wait to hear about all your adventures. We have lots of catching up to do."

"Yeah, let's go to Pallet, we'll tell you on the way," Ash suggested. "Uh, you know the way back to the road right?"

"Don't worry, I memorized it," Latios answered.

"And I know these woods by heart, so we aren't getting lost!" Pidgeot chimed, clearly eager to hear about Ash's travels.

With that, they headed out of the woods and back to the main road so they could travel to Pallet Town, all the while telling Pidgeot about all of the adventures that she'd missed. Pidgeot couldn't believe some of Ash's most recent antics, but where Ash was involved, anything was possible.

After a long walk (or flight in Pidgeot, Latias and Latios' case), the group finally reached Pallet Town. Ash grinned, recognizing a small hill in their path. "Pallet Town's just over that hill."

"Finally!" Latias said. "I'm eager to see your hometown."

"Almost there," Ash commented as he walked over the hill. "Pallet Town is right here!" Once he reached the top of the hill, he marveled at the sight of his cherished hometown again. Latias and Latios were mesmerized by the town's beauty.

Pallet Town was a really nature-friendly town. It had no paved roads, rather there were very neatly kept dirt roads. Picture-perfect wooden houses with pretty gardens and big grass fiends were dotted all over the place. On the farthest hill, overlooking the town was a large pinkish two-story building with a wind turbine on top, Professor Oak's Laboratory. "So, what do you think?" Ash asked to the eon dragons.

"It's really beautiful," Latias commented, marveling at the small hamlet.

"Yeah, I like it," Latios agreed, gazing at the town with a smile. Pallet Town seemed to have a peaceful air to it, just like Altomare.

"Pallet Town's always been an incredibly pretty town," Pidgeot commented.

"Com'on, let's head for my house," Ash called, beginning to walk into town. The eon dragons turned invisible and followed him. They still preferred to remain invisible in public places. "Think my mom and professor Oak are here yet?" Ash wondered.

"Probably," Latios answered. "We took nearly a week of walking from Silver Town to Goldenrod and from Saffron to Viridian. On the other hand, they most likely took an airplane or car."

"Yeah, good point," Pikachu agreed.

They walked into town. "Hello! Welcome back Ash!" A lady tending to her garden in one of the houses beside the road called out. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Yeah!" a guy from another house across the road shouted. "Congrats on the Silver Conference!"

Pikachu chuckled. "Well, seems like you've become quite popular in your absence." Ash laughed and nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes of constantly receiving warm words of welcome and congratulating from the people of Pallet Town, as well as politely declining a few 'Can I see Latios?' requests, saying he'd show him off later, Ash reached his house. "This is my home," Ash said. Ash's house was a small white two-story structure with a red roof and a white picket fence surrounding the property, which had trees, bushes, and a large backyard with a garden in it.

"It looks really nice," Latias commented.

Ash walked forward and knocked on the door. "Mom! I'm home!"

A few seconds later Delia opened the door. She smiled when she saw her son was on her doorstep. "Welcome home, Ash," she said, hugging her son. She pulled back. "Hello to you too Pikachu," she said, rubbing Pikachu's chin gently.

"_Hi!"_ Latias greeted, entering the household. Latios and Pidgeot looked at the door, which seemed too small for them to fit. Well, Pidgeot maybe, but it'd be a tight fit, Latios was sure that he wouldn't be going through it anytime soon. Latias looked back and giggled. _"It's moments like this that I enjoy being smaller, brother," _she commented. All she had to do to enter was adjust her levitation slightly sideways and move her wings a little.

"You two can enter through the back door, it's bigger," Ash said.

"Nah, I'll stay out here, I don't like small confined places… houses included," Pidgeot said. "I've gotten used to living in the open."

"That's okay, go to Oak's lab for now, I'll meet you there later! Say hi to all my Pokémon for me," Ash told her. She nodded and took off. Latios flew to the backyard.

"So, when did you get back, Mom?" Ash asked, looking at Delia.

"About three days ago," she answered. "What took you so long?"

"It's a long way home from Johto," he replied.

"In other words, you got lost again?" Delia asked. As he turned red, she said, "Well, I'm almost done with supper, so you might as well come have some." Ash grinned happily. "Oh, and, tomorrow we'll have a small party to celebrate your reaching third place in the league. I would have made it a surprise one, but, we didn't know when you'd get here, so, I had to wait for your arrival first."

Ash smiled. "That's awesome! Parties mean lots of food!"

"Everyone in town is invited," Delia continued. "So do you think Latios would be okay with revealing himself? I'm sure people would be happy to meet him."

"_Er, I don't know,"_ Latios said as he entered the living room from the backyard. Both he and Latias dropped their invisibility.

"Oh, don't be so shy! Everyone in Pallet Town is nice and trustworthy, I can assure you," Delia said. "Maybe Latias too."

"I don't mind. It'd be nice to be part of the party instead of watching it unnoticed," Latias answered. "Common, bro! It'll be fun!"

Latios sighed and gave in, as usual. _"Alright…"_

"Good! I'm glad you can make it," Delia said.

"And I'm glad you'll be making some food, because I'm hungry!" Ash said.

Delia laughed. "Oh Ash, you haven't changed a bit!"

Pikachu rolled his eyes as they headed into the dining room. "Tell me about it…"

* * *

The next day…

"Be careful, you idiots!" Professor Sebastian bellowed to two Team Rocket grunts as they carried a silver tray to the meeting room where Giovanni was meeting him. "Those are worth more than you can ever hope to earn in your life!"

"Yes sir," one of the grunts replied. Professor Sebastian nodded. After talking to Giovanni the day before, Sebastian had informed everyone of the meeting and its urgency, so everything had to go perfectly. Among other things, he had to ready a hologram projector and several programs to properly carry out the instructions.

"Wait here," he instructed as he walked into the meeting room through one of the side doors. At the moment, only Giovanni was present, along with one of Team Rocket's most elite members, Agent 009: Domino. The room was an expensively decorated chamber with a huge rectangular table at the center equipped with a holographic projector for various purposes. Giovanni was sitting on one end of the table with Domino a few seats to the left.

"Greetings," Professor Sebastian said as he entered. "Everything is accounted for."

"Very well," Giovanni replied, nodding to the scientist.

"So," Domino began. "What's all the buzz about?"

"You'll see," Sebastian answered.

"Is it really worth cancelling all Team Rocket ongoing assignments?" she wondered. It was true, the day before; Giovanni had issued the order that all current missions were to be immediately aborted and all grunts and field agents were to report back to headquarters.

"Its far more than worth it," Giovanni answered. "I cancelled them because this new project is to receive _all_ of Team Rocket's weapons, resources and manpower."

"Wow," Domino murmured. '_For the boss to say that, this must be something big_.'

"Professor Sebastian, bring the agents in," Giovanni ordered. The scientist nodded and walked out. A minute later, he returned with several of Team Rocket's field agents behind him.

"Take a seat," Giovanni ordered. They all sat down around the table, wondering what was to be expected of them. Some of them had a vague idea as they had assisted Professors Namba and Sebastian in developing the devices, but they mostly did field tests and gathered necessary components. They hadn't involved themselves much in the lab.

Giovanni took a quick look around the room, mentally taking attendance of everyone around the table. _'Looks like they are all here,' _he thought. The agents in the room included Attila, Hun, Annie, Oakley, Butch, Cassidy, Tyson, and the Iron Mask Marauder, along with Professors Sebastian and Namba, Domino, and Giovanni himself.

"As you all know," Giovanni began, drawing everyone's attention. "Professors Mamba and Sebastian-"

"It's Namba!" the professor corrected, clearly irritated.

"Whatever," Giovanni muttered. "Anyway, they have finished developing a powerful new device which shall be implemented in our latest plan."

"And what's this 'device'?" the Marauder asked, looking fairly interested.

Professor Sebastian stood up. "It's a new Pokeball designed by Prof. Namca and myself."

"It's-" the irritated Professor began.

"I don't care," Professor Sebastian interrupted, leaving the other scientist to fume. Butch looked at him in sympathy; he too had problems with people getting his name wrong. "Bring them in," Sebastian shouted. The two Rocket Grunts entered, holding a tray with the Pokeballs and setting them on the table beside the Holographic projector. "Allow me to introduce to you our newest weapon, the Prison Ball," he announced, motioning to the five Pokeballs. The Prison Balls were a solid black on top and a dark steel gray on the bottom. Two gray chains ran across its surface, making an X-shaped design with the intersection being the button of the Pokeball, which resembled a heavy lock. The line that separated the sections was also depicted as a smaller dark gray chain, and in the back, thick rivets was in the back of the sphere. It seemed to radiate a powerful eerie feeling as the agents stared at them.

"Wow," Oakley commented.

"Interesting," Tyson admitted. The other agents nodded in agreement.

"So, what do these 'Prison Balls' do that makes them so special?" Domino asked.

"Many things," Professor Namba answered enigmatically.

"I shall explain," Professor Sebastian announced. "First, they never fail to catch a Pokémon, and once a Pokémon is captured by one, it can't escape. It has a one hundred percent catch rate."

"So, basically, a Master Ball," Attila commented. "But I guess there's more to it than that?"

"Of course," Sebastian replied. "Their most devastating effect is what they do to the Pokémon once it's captured."

"This is getting good," the Iron Mask Marauder commented.

"It's called a Prison Ball because once a Pokémon enters, it can never break free. It is incarcerated within the ball forever. The most devastating effect is that any Pokémon captured will have their willpower, free will, and emotions completely destroyed," Professor Sebastian informed them. "The Pokémon will be linked to the Prison Ball, meaning it will only follow the orders of the one who wields it. Since the Pokémon would have no free will, the Pokémon will comply, no matter what the command."

"Nice," Tyson commented.

"Cool," Butch commented. Cassidy nodded.

"Yeah," Oakley followed, nodding in agreement. "But, aren't free will and willpower the same thing?" she asked.

"No," Prof. Namba answered. "Willpower is the resolve to do something. Free will is the freedom to do anything you wish."

"Indeed, without them both, the captured Pokémon would be unable to do anything on its own accord, and due to the link with the Prison ball, they will be forced to follow the commands of those that captured them," Sebastian explained. "The Pokémon will follow every order given by their captors, making no mistakes and complying without caring about the consequences."

"And there's more," Namba continued. "During early tests, we discovered that these Pokémon had a small flaw. As you know, Psychic Pokémon can sometimes take control of people and Pokémon by invading their minds. Since these Pokémon have no willpower to defend themselves, they were overtaken rapidly."

"That was the hardest part, finding a way to avoid that," Professor Sebastian continued. "So, after several days of research, we developed something interesting to amend that drawback. Through the infusion of highly concentrated darkness energy, unless the Pokémon is already a Dark-type, any Pokémon captured with a Prison Ball will gain a Dark sub-type," he declared. "Also, the infusion of that energy will raise the Pokémon's sheer power to colossal levels, far above that of any living Pokémon."

"Mm, that sounds interesting," Hun commented. "But, you say a Pokémon gains a Dark-Type upon capture, right?"

"That is correct," Professor Sebastian answered.

"Then what happens if a Pokémon that already has two types is captured?" Hun asked.

"We already checked that out. Basically, the Pokémon gains a third Type. With the Prison Balls, we were able to create the first Pokémon ever with three elemental types," Professor Sebastian answered. "One of them always being the Dark-Type."

"Amazing," Domino muttered. Everyone nodded in agreement, clearly impressed. "What happened to the Pokémon that you used for the field tests?"

"Even after we reset the Prison Balls, breaking the link with the Pokémon, the effects didn't disappear. The Pokémon retained the Dark-Typing and lack of will and emotions, but without the Prison Ball to command it…there was no way to get them to do anything or even move, so we had to kill them since they were of no use to us," Professor Sebastian answered. "The effects are completely irreversible."

"Wait," Iron Mask said. "Those sound a lot like my Dark Balls, though…mine don't add Dark-Types…but the effects are pretty similar."

Professor Sebastian chuckled. "I hate to tell you, but your Dark Balls are no match for my Prison Balls. Your Dark Balls increase a Pokémon's power, however, that increase is small compared to that of the Prison Ball. And, if my data is correct, you captured a Celebi with a Dark Ball, correct? What happened to it?"

The Iron Mask Marauder growled in anger. "I managed to get a Celebi in my control, but two stupid kids sweet-talked it into breaking free… how cliché."

"Let me enlighten you as to why that happened," Professor Namba said. "You see, emotions…willpower…they are impressive forces that drive living beings. They are the most powerful force a living being has, either human or Pokémon. They can compel them to do incredible feats. According to our spies, in the region of Orre an organization named Cipher created something they called "Shadow Pokémon" by 'locking the door to their hearts.' Basically, the restrained their emotions completely. Your Dark Ball does something similar, which is what happened to that Celebi."

"That's a huge mistake," Professor Sebastian commented.

"Indeed," Professor Namba agreed. "Both restrained the Pokémon's emotions. However, there is a point were emotions become so powerful that they can't be restrained. That's why 'Shadow Pokémon' could be 'purified' and why your captured Celebi broke free, probably because its feelings for the children became so powerful that by sheer willpower, Celebi shattered the Dark Ball's control over it."

"That's why Prison Balls are impossible to break free from," Professor Sebastian continued. "They don't simply restrain emotions and will, they _destroy them completely_, making them completely nonexistent. Without them, they have nothing to fight off the Prison Ball's control, so they will follow your every order, and they can't break free."

"Ah," the Marauder said, slightly offended that his Dark Balls had been completely outclassed.

"We have decided to name Pokémon that are captured within a Prison Ball: Incarcerated Pokémon," Professor Namba announced.

"Anyway," Professor Sebastian continued. "In a normal Pokémon…the effects were impressive. A single Incarcerated Pokémon completely annihilated a dozen of Team Rocket's most elite Pokémon in a direct battle, even if they had been under intense training regimens for years. Side effects of the power increase were also increased physical capabilities, speed, and reflexes. All of that was under our absolute control, because Incarcerated Pokémon make no movement unless ordered to. They are the perfect servants…now, imagine what a _Legendary Pokémon_ captured with the Prison Ball could do…"

Everyone's eyes widened as they grinned, getting the idea. Giovanni chuckled wickedly. _'My plans are falling into place.'_

"I have prepared a simulation to give you all an idea of what to expect from the power boost applied on a Legendary Pokémon based from field tests on regular Pokémon," Prof. Sebastian announced, grabbing a remote control from one of the pockets of his lab coat. "For this example we decided to use a Legendary Pokémon we have a good deal of data on: Lugia."

"We have received data on him on two occasions, one sighting in the Orange Islands by three low ranked Rocket Members, and a lot from a Lugia pair I captured in the Whirl islands, though sadly, they escaped," Professor Namba explained. "Please, look at the hologram." All the Team Rocket Members looked at the hologram projector, even Giovanni himself. This was new. He wondered what the two scientists had prepared for him.

Professor Sebastian pressed a button as a hologram of a Lugia appeared. "Lugia's signature move is a destructive attack known as Aeroblast," Professor Sebastian informed them. The hologram of a large city with dozens of skyscrapers appeared before the Lugia. "If a regular Lugia were to use an Aeroblast on Saffron City, the biggest city in Kanto, this would happen," he said. In the hologram, the Lugia fired a large orange beam from its mouth with a huge cyclone surrounding it. The attack collided with the center of Saffron City, creating a huge explosion that destroying a skyscraper and left gaping holes in a few others, severely damaging the nearby buildings. They collapsed soon after, the gusts of wind from the blow shattering almost all the windows of the city. Despite the devastation, much of the city was still standing.

"That did some damage, but…now look," Professor Namba said.

Sebastian chuckled. "Now, let's see what an Incarcerated Lugia would do." He pressed another button, resetting the city. The Lugia fired the same attack, hitting the center of the city. The result was catastrophic, a colossal explosion that devastated the entire city, vaporizing dozens of skyscrapers and hundreds of buildings in a second. The huge gusts of wind that erupted from the attack decimated the outskirts of the city completely, even going as far as to annihilate the surrounding forest, ripping thousands of trees apart. A huge crater was left to replace the city, a massive chunk torn out of the landscape. "Saffron City, Kanto's biggest City, would be obliterated in a single blow," Professor Sebastian announced proudly. Everyone's eyes widened. "And Lugia _isn't_ the strongest Legendary Pokémon, stronger Legendaries could make a lot more devastation."

"Amazing," Giovanni muttered. _'This is the kind of power Team Rocket needs…'_

"Nice," the Iron Masked Marauder commented.

"Yeah," Oakley agreed, both her and the Marauder staring at the Prison Balls with greed in their eyes. "And with all the other things the Prison Balls do…we'll get the ultimate weapons."

"Now that you are all aware of the capabilities of the Prison Ball…Master Giovanni, it's time," Professor Sebastian said, motioning to the Rocket boss.

Giovanni stood up. "With the help of our lead scientists, we have developed a list of targets that are to be captured with a Prison Ball. Thankfully, over the years we've developed an extensive database on most Pokémon that inhabit the regions of Kanto and Johto, and some of Hoenn thanks to information stolen from various Pokémon professors. Due to lacking partners, Tyson and Iron Mask Marauder, you will work as a duo for this mission and will be given one Prison Ball. Butch and Cassidy will receive another Prison Ball. Both of these teams will be supervised by Professor Nampa. Attila and Hun and Annie and Oakley will also receive one Ball each and those two teams will be supervised by Professor Sebastian. The last Prison Ball will be managed by Agent Domino and myself," Giovanni informed them. "Professor Sebastian and Nampa will assist me whenever I require their advice."

"It's Namba!" The scientist blared. Everyone ignored him.

"First," Professor Sebastian continued. "Agents Marauder and Tyson, your targets will be in the distant Hoenn Region. I have received information that two other criminal organizations have been formed in the Hoenn Region and might become a threat to us. Eliminate them once you make your capture. You shall target the Pokémon that are rumored to have created the continents, sea and sky. Capture one of the following Legendary Pokémon with your Prison Ball: Groudon, Kyogre or Rayquaza. The two organizations I mentioned seem to be after Groudon and Kyogre, so you might have to infiltrate them to accomplish your assignments. Also, see if you can find a Latios and Latias, another pair of strong and rare Legendaries native to Hoenn." He pressed a button and a holographic image of the five aforementioned Pokémon appeared.

Both of the burly men grinned and reached for a Prison Ball. The Marauder glared and slapped Tyson's hand away. "Hey!" Tyson shouted, rubbing his hand.

The Marauder grabbed the Prison Ball, grinning. "Epic," he commented. "I could get used to having one of these!"

"Also," Professor Sebastian began. "We don't know if we have complete info on Legendaries from Hoenn, so if you come across anything interesting, do tell."

"Alright," Tyson replied, still sore that the Marauder had gotten a Prison Ball instead of him.

Professor Sebastian grabbed a small control panel. It beeped and said, "Registration completed. Prison Ball 1: Vicious 'Iron Mask Marauder' and Tyson. Supervisor: Professor Namba," in a mechanical voice.

"At least the machine gets my name right," Professor Namba muttered. Nobody paid attention.

Both men looked at the panel. "What's that for?" Tyson asked.

"Oh, it's just to keep track of the Prison Balls," Sebastian answered. "This is also so the Pokémon you capture will only obey you two, since you two are the ones that are registered to the Prison Ball, and no one else." The nodded, grinning.

Giovanni nodded. "Next."

"Biff and Cassidy, you are next. You shall seek Pokémon that are found in water, your targets are: Kyogre, Lugia, or Suicune," Professor Sebastian announced. The holograms of the three Pokemon appeared over the projector.

"So… after Lugia once more…" Cassidy muttered.

A vein appeared on Butch's forehead. "It's Butch!"

"Hey, we already got Kyogre!" Tyson protested.

"But you have four other targets as well. In case you don't capture Kyogre, this gives us another chance at it," Professor Namba answered.

"Ah," Tyson said.

Cassidy grabbed the Prison Ball. Sebastian pressed a button. "Registration completed. Prison Ball 2: Butch and Cassidy. Supervisor: Professor Namba," the control panel said.

"Neat," Butch commented. "The thing got my name right too!"

"Next, Attila and Hun, your assignment is the Mysterious Pokémon of alien origin Deoxys. It could be anywhere on the world, so search carefully. Also, look for Pokémon native to Johto, such as Entei, Raikou, Suicune and Celebi," Sebastian announced. A hologram of the five Pokémon appeared.

"Very well," Hun replied, nodding. She took a Prison Ball. "So, a Raikou again…Ugh, I don't feel like seeing another one ever again."

Attila laughed. "We still have other four choices."

"That's good…" Hun muttered.

Professor Sebastian's control panel beeped. "Registration completed. Prison Ball 3: Attila and Hun. Supervisor: Professor Sebastian."

"Now, Annie and Oakley," Professor Sebastian continued. "You shall search the skies, Your targets are the Legendary Bird Pokémon, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, as well as Ho-Oh and Rayquaza, two Legendaries that are said to live sky high," he informed them, their holograms appearing over the projector.

"Alright," Oakley acknowledged, grabbing a Prison Ball. _'This is better than a second attempt to get the Soul Dew…good thing it got cancelled. Even so, I'll get my revenge on the kid and his Latios someday. First, I'll capture one of those Pokémon, and once I have an Incarcerated Legendary under my power, I will seek Ash and Latios out… and I'll kill them,'_ she thought eagerly, awaiting the day she would have her long awaited revenge.

Professor Sebastian's panel beeped. "Registration completed. Prison Ball 4: Annie and Oakley. Supervisor: Professor Sebastian."

Everyone turned and looked at the final Prison Ball. Giovanni walked forward and pocketed it. Professor Sebastian's panel beeped again. "Registration completed. Prison Ball 5: Master Giovanni and Agent 009 'Domino'. Supervisor: None."

"Master Giovanni, what are your targets?" Prof. Sebastian asked since the Team Rocket boss hadn't yet said a thing about who he was shooting for.

"I will only target two specific Pokémon: Mew…and a Pokémon named Mewtwo. Either of them will suffice," he answered.

"Ah," Sebastian muttered. He took out his control and input a few commands. The database began to search for the two Pokémon. After a second, two holograms appeared. "Wow, Mew is an extreme rare Pokémon, said to be unique, but Mewtwo…I haven't heard of that one…"

"Mewtwo is one of Team Rocket's experiments. It's a clone of Mew," Giovanni explained. "Somehow… I can't remember anything about it, and neither can any Grunt or agent in the organization. Mewtwo is a powerful Psychic, so I presume it erased our minds of its existence…"

"If it erased your mind, then how do you know about it?" Professor Namba asked skeptically.

"Backup data," was Giovanni's answer. "All of Team Rocket's affairs are sent to my personal computer, so I eventually stumbled upon Mewtwo's files and numerous records and activities on various dates. Mewtwo may have erased my mind, but it forgot about my technology."

"Interesting," Professor Sebastian noted.

"Mew and Mewtwo are two very powerful Pokémon. If any of them are captured with a Prison Ball, we'll be unstoppable. I shall see to their capture…_myself_," Giovanni said darkly. "Agent Domino shall assist me."

"Alright," the professors said at the same time.

"All of you listen well," Giovanni began, getting everyone's attention. "You have full access to all of Team Rocket's manpower, funds and weapons. I don't care what it takes, I don't care if you have to sacrifice dozens of expensive weapons and machines or hundreds of Rocket grunts, I want one Legendary Pokémon incarcerated for each team no matter what the cost. Also, since this task will require you to take on Legendary Pokémon in battle and most of you only posses one or two Pokémon, all of you have my full authorization to take a full six Pokémon team from our storehouses. All the Pokémon there have been training for years under our best specialists, so they will serve you well." Everyone nodded, glad that they were getting so many privileges and new Pokémon.

"May I point out…if we go all out like this, that might put our finances into severe danger, more than the already expensive creation of the Prison Balls did," Professor Sebastian warned. "That's why we couldn't make more…we'd endanger our budget."

Giovanni laughed darkly. "When we have five incarcerated legendaries under our control we shall be invincible… money won't matter anymore, the world will tremble in fear before us. Besides, we already have a large number of battle machines, we have hundreds ready, so losing a few dozen doesn't mean anything as long as the Pokémon are captured." Everyone nodded, eager to begin their newest assignment. "_Project Incarceration_… has begun. Dismissed," he finished.

Everyone stood up and left the room, walking out and talking with their partners about how they were going to capture a Legendary Pokémon and get new Pokémon for their teams. Giovanni smiled, pleased. He turned to Professor Sebastian, who hadn't left yet. "Here," the scientist said, handing the Team Rocket Boss the control panel he used to register the Prison Balls. It was basically a small tablet with a touch screen and a few buttons.

"Good," Giovanni said. "Did you make the modifications to it that I requested?"

The scientist nodded. "Yes. This is the main control panel. It tells you the status of each Prison Ball as well as their contents. It's also a master control. This tablet is already registered to you and has the highest priority. That means that all five incarcerated Pokémon will take your orders as top priority, even over those of the agents that captured them," Sebastian explained.

"Alright," Giovanni said, examining the control panel.

"I will take my leave now. I have to plan with Attila, Hun, Annie and Oakley how we are going to make our captures," the scientist said, turning and walking out of the room.

Giovanni smirked, looking over the main control panel. _'In case some agent decides to betray me… I can easily recover their Pokémon with this, so they can't use the Incarcerated Pokémon against me. Finally… my greatest plan to make the world mine has begun. No more failures, no more setbacks, nothing shall stop me! _Project Incarceration_ shall rise, and with it the world will bow to me!'_

_

* * *

_

Well, chapter 25 finished! =D

I guess you all know by now who's gonna be the main antagonist of this fic's sequel: "A New Chance For Adventure." Wish Team Rocket good luck!

The name "Prison Ball" was originally created by my Beta Reader, **Ri2**, though its effects and look in this fic are very different. Also Ri2 helped me plan all that out, so many thanks go to him for helping me develop this whole idea! Thanks!

Anyway, don't forget to leave a **REVIEW**! =D


	26. Peaceful Moments, Dark Tides

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: Here's chapter 26! Another chapter for the delight of all of you my dear readers. =D

Oh, and a friend of mine, another author named Fergus Flamacron made a poster for A New Chance At Life, using just copy and paste. It's amazing =D. If you want to check it out, the link to it is on my profile. I also wrote some stuff for my profile too, more will come as I get ideas of what to add to it.

And I made a new Poll! Question: Which are your favorite Legendary Pokémon? (Like last time, you all get 5 choices).

Now, on to the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

In the bedroom of a certain Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town…

"Who gets to wake Ash up today?" Pikachu asked, looking bewildered at the sleeping form of Ash. It was already around midday and the boy was still asleep, which didn't surprise any of the three Pokémon looking at him.

"Your turn," Latios conceded, a small smirk tugging his lips. Waking Ash was a very fun pastime. The boy sure was a very heavy sleeper.

Pikachu got ready to wake Ash up, his cheeks sparkling, but Ash stirred as he opened his eyes groggily, rubbing them a little to adjust to the light. "Hey!" Pikachu said in annoyance, glaring at Latias as her eyes stopped glowing, having used her psychic powers to interrupt Ash's sleep.

"Five more minutes mom…" Ash muttered while he put a pillow over his face and turned away from the three, tucking himself inside the sheets. They sweatdropped collectively.

"You really should wake up," Latias suggested, seeing Pikachu's cheeks had begun to sparkle again.

Ash got up rather quickly. "I'm awake! I'm awake!" he cried frantically, remembering that his Pokémon had the habit of giving the term 'rude awakening' a whole new meaning, and not a nice one either, well, for Ash it wasn't. The three Pokémon laughed in amusement, leaving Ash to glare at them. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Twelve forty," Latios answered, glancing at the small clock that was hanging from the wall.

"What! It's so late already!" A stunned Ash asked. He usually didn't sleep _that _much. Well, his Pokémon didn't let him, anyway.

"Don't worry, your little party is later this afternoon. Your mom should be at Oak's, getting everything ready. Let's head there now," Latias suggested.

Ash sighed in relief. "So I haven't missed anything…I need to stop sleeping in like this…"

Pikachu grinned. "We could start waking you _very_ early, not caring it's an important day or not…"

"Yeah, Latias and I have the habit of waking very early, usually around five in the morning or so," Latios added, grinning as well.

Ash gave the three a completely terrified look. "No! Please don't!"

They laughed. "Joking, joking," Latios said, suppressing another fit of laugher. Ash glared at them.

"You three are _still_ impossible… many people I know get jealous of me because I can understand Pokémon… if they just knew what I went through with you three, they'd change their minds…" Ash said, still glaring at them.

The Pokémon trio laughed yet again. "Oh it's nice to know you love us too," Pikachu commented. Ash rolled his eyes.

"Well," Latias began. "Get dressed, we need to meet your mom at Oak's," she said. "We'll wait in the living room." With that the three Pokémon left Ash by himself. He sighed and lay back on his bed to think about what the day had in store for him. He smiled and closed his eyes, eager for the party and what would follow.

"_And you'd better not fall asleep again…"_ Ash jumped frantically out of the bed as he heard Latios' telepathic voice chuckling darkly, causing Ash to pick up the pace.

After a quick shower and putting on a fresh set of his usual clothes, Ash headed downstairs to the living room. "Hello," he greeted.

"Good morning sleepy head," Latias said.

"Hi Ash! Good morning!" Mimey called as he cleaned some portraits.

"Oh, hi. I'm going to Oak's, you coming?" Ash asked.

"I'll head over there after I finish some cleaning. Meet you there!" Mimey informed them before continuing to clean.

After meeting up with his Pokémon, Ash headed out of the house. The Eon twins as usual followed him invisibly, though they would reveal themselves to the town soon enough. He wondered how his Pokémon were, since he had sent all of them to Oak's after supper yesterday so they could catch up with each other. The only ones that had stayed with him were Latios, Latias and Pikachu, as usual.

"I'm eager to go to Hoenn," Ash began, trying to strike up a conversation on the way to the Professor's place. It wasn't that long a walk but it was still better to go talking along the way.

"I know," Latias said, smiling at him.

"I wonder what kinds of Pokémon I'll befriend and capture there, how the Gyms will be, how strong the trainers there are, and how I'll do in the league…" Ash said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, remember Harrison? He was a tough opponent, and if I recall what I heard on TV correctly, Hoenn Gyms are way tougher than Johto or Kanto Gyms," Latias commented.

"We'll do fine," Pikachu said, grinning. "We'll plow through them so fast they won't know what hit 'em!"

"Yeah!" Ash agreed. "When did my mom say we leave for Alto Mare?"

"In two days," Latios answered. "We go from Alto Mare to Littleroot Town in Hoenn in seven days, since the trip to Alto Mare will take around three days. That means we would have two days to spend in Alto Mare."

"Alright," Ash acknowledged. He looked up and noticed they were almost at the Professor's lab.

"The professor better not try any experiment on me just because we're in his lab," Latios deadpanned.

"Wasn't he interested in your feathers?" Ash questioned.

"Ah, right, he wanted a feather from us because he was interested in how we use them to turn invisible," Latios recalled.

"Hmm, now that I recall, when I look at you two, I don't see any feathers…" Ash commented. "Why is that?"

"Oh, that's because they're very small," Latias answered. "I remember that at first it was mostly thought by the people of Alto Mare that it was fur instead."

"Ah," Ash mumbled. Out of curiosity, he touched Latias on her neck, petting her gently and feeling the texture of her feathers. She gave a small squeal of pleasure. "Now that I take notice of it, it does feel like fur… I think I thought it was fur until you two told me they were feathers." Ash stopped petting the dragoness as he noticed they had arrived at the lab.

"I wonder why he is so eager to get a sample of it?" Pikachu wondered.

"They are feathers that can turn invisible, and he is a Pokémon professor. Of course he wants a sample," Latios stated, chuckling slightly.

Ash knocked on the door a few times. "Hello!" he called.

Tracey opened the door after a few seconds, noticing the cap-wearing trainer. "Oh, hi Ash," he said.

"Hello Tracey," Ash replied, smiling at his old friend.

"Come in," Tracey said, motioning inside.

Ash walked into the lab. Latias turned upright and flew through the door. Though it was a rather tight fit, she managed to get through. Latios stared at the doorframe, noting its small size, and decided to enter through a different route.

"So, where's my mom?" Ash asked, looking around and seeing the rather empty living room.

"She's in the back. Come on," Tracey said, leading the way. Ash followed him silently.

They walked to the backdoor. Tracey smiled as he opened the door…

"Surprise!" the Pallet Town citizens shouted as Ash walked through the door. The cap-wearing trainer gave a startled leap; he had expected the party to be later. The small plain directly outside Professor Oak's lab had been adorned with lots of banners that said congratulating words to Ash. There were several tables with diverse foods and drinks lined up all over the place.

"Hello, dear," Delia greeted, walking forward and hugged her son. "Got you off-guard, right?"

"Yeah," Ash answered, returning the hug. "Wow, everyone in town's here…"

"Well of course, Ash!" Professor Oak said, walking up to the boy. "You returned Pallet Town's name to stardom by placing so well in the Silver Conference despite your age. It's been a long since we had such a good trainer!"

"Hey!" Gary said, frowning. "I'm good too!"

Ash blushed at the praise. "Thanks!" he said brightly.

"And," Delia began. "You can also take it as an early birthday party, since your birthday isn't for another two weeks, but by then you'll already be heading for Hoenn… So happy early birthday!"

"Ah, nice!" Ash commented, smiling at the neat surprise. "But I thought this was going to be later."

"Oh, despite the fact that you knew there was gonna be a party, I still tried to make it surprising for you," Delia answered. "I came here early to get everything done. I told Latios to wake you up around midday, when I knew everything would be ready."

"Ah, so there was a reason you let me sleep in so much…" Ash grumbled. It was rare that his Pokémon let him sleep past nine in the morning or so.

"_Hehe, yep, there was a reason."_ Latios confirmed, suppressing an amused chuckle.

Ash smiled. "And I like it a lot!"

A few of the people got close to Ash, asking several questions, though it wasn't long before the one that was echoing in almost everyone's minds was asked. "Can we see Latios up close?" a lady asked. Several of the townspeople nodded in agreement, silently voicing the same question.

Ash nodded. "Sure. Latios, reveal yourself!"

Latios took a deep breath. If he had revealed himself to countless thousands of people in the Silver Conference, surely he could reveal himself here, even if in Silver Town there was a tall wall separating the field and the stands, and no one was stupid enough to enter it in the middle of an intense Pokémon battle. _'Delia said the people of this town are very nice, so…let's give it a shot,' _the eon Dragon thought. He dropped his invisibility, appearing in a shower of blue sparkling lights. Many people looked on in wonder, most of them seeing a Legendary Pokémon for the first time of their lives.

"_My turn!"_ Latias announced, causing Latios to bristle slightly, still reluctant of the idea of Latias revealing herself as well. But, being the more social one, it was obvious she'd want to be at the party. He took a small breath to calm down, reminding himself for the thousandth time that they were all good people. Besides, almost none of them were trainers, what could they do to him, a Legendary Pokémon?

'_I haven't forgotten,'_ Ash thought, knowing Latias would read his mind and hear it. Latias portrayed a smile in his mind. "Oh, I have an announcement to make!" Ash called, getting the attention of the townspeople as they stopped looking at Latios. "I have a second Legendary Pokémon!" Everyone looked at him with widened eyes, wondering if his earlier statement was true. "Meet Latios' sister, Latias!"

The red eon dragoness grinned happily and dropped her invisibility, causing shock and amazement to run through the attendants, their jaws dropping at the sudden appearance of the red eon Dragon. Latias giggled at most of their stunned and surprised faces. Pikachu laughed. "You two certainly attract plenty of attention," he commented as several of the townspeople began to gather near the eon dragons.

"_Relax brother_," Latias chided in Latios's mind, sensing his unease and anxiety. _"I sense good emotions from the people here, there's no need to be so alarmed. Calm down."_

"_Sorry, you know I'm not one for things like this__, sis," _Latios said rather nervously, which sounded odd from his normally confident and secure nature.

"_Just relax, interact with them, e__njoy yourself, have a good time. You'll grow into enjoying the moment. Oh, and don't go overprotective on me now, if you do, I'll get pissed at you!"_ Latias said mentally, projecting a glare in his mind at the last part. Latios laughed nervously. He'd never do anything that would upset Latias.

"Seems they're taking it well," Professor Oak observed as he saw the two eon dragons started to interact with the townspeople. "Though Latios seems… odd."

"He's probably nervous," Ash said.

"Yeah, yesterday he was a bit reluctant to reveal himself at the party. Latias said yes in a heartbeat," Delia added.

Ash's stomach roared, literally. Everyone sweatdropped. "Well," Ash began. "I'm getting something to eat."

"You're leaving them alone?" Pikachu asked, motioning to the eon dragons.

"Eh, they'll be fine," Ash said. "So long as Latios doesn't become too much of a nervous wreck."

"I think he already is," Gary commented.

"I'll go with him to make sure he doesn't get too crowded," Pikachu said as he jumped off Ash's shoulder and headed to the eon twins.

"Hehe, they're having a good time aren't they?" Delia asked, smiling.

"They sure are," Gary agreed. They laughed when they saw some young children reaching up trying to get on Latios' back for a ride. The Eon Pokémon flew up a few inches, getting out of reach of the kids. They pouted at him as he smiled nervously.

"_This is fun,"_ Latias commented. _"Though I wish we could talk to them openly…"_

"_Yeah,"_ Latios agreed. He made a small dodge as another kid tried to get to him. _"I guess it's another incentive to train harder to make our psychic powers stronger."_

"_I'd really love to talk freely to these people, they seem really nice!"_ Latias said. _"When we get some more free time bro, let's speed up our training!" _

Latios smiled at her and nodded._ "Alright," _he replied, glad that Latias was taking something seriously for once. He flew back a little, getting out of reach of the kids again.

"_Well__, looks like children have a thing for you, brother," _Latias commented playfully, suppressing a fit of giggles at his predicament.

Meanwhile, at the nearby tables, the food was under heavy attack. "This food is awesome!" Ash commented as he ate vigorously from about ten different plates.

"Haha, leave some for the rest of the guests, Ashy-boy," Gary commented as he walked up beside him. Ash was currently seated at one of the tables, enjoying a good meal. It was like buffet, there was no set time to eat, you just had to get up and grab a bite when you were hungry, much to Ash's delight.

"But the food's awesome!" Ash argued before resuming his meal. Gary shook his head in amusement. Same old Ash.

Nearby, Mimey was cleaning the plates and tables that the guests were leaving, or any trash that was dropped on the floor. Anyone who saw the Psychic-Type probably wondered if cleaning was a hobby for him.

Meanwhile, Pikachu was looking with amusement at Latios' little kid predicament. "Hello uncle Pikachu!" a voice shouted behind him, causing the electric-type to yelp and release a small Thundershock.

"Sorry for that!" Pikachu apologized as he turned around, and facefaulted when he saw Phanpy. "Ugh, you're a Ground-Type. Why do I even bother to apologize?"

Phanpy laughed. "No problem Uncle Pikachu!"

"Where are the others?" Pikachu asked.

"We're all here, but we'll wait until the crowds dissipate a little before coming to greet Daddy. I didn't want to wait, so came anyways," the Ground-Type answered.

"Alright," Pikachu said.

"Hello uncle Latios!" Phanpy greeted cheerily as Latios flew over to them.

Latios smiled. "Hey there, kid."

Pikachu laughed. "Couldn't take the crowds anymore?"

Latios grimaced. "Those kids are a terror! They wouldn't leave me alone!"

Phanpy pouted. "You don't think I'm a terror do you?"

"When I said 'kids' I wasn't referring to you," Latios told him.

"Ah," Phanpy conceded. Pikachu laughed again.

"How did you get them to leave you alone?" the Electric-Type asked.

"Thankfully, Latias took mercy on me and decided to play with them instead. They easily fell for her more playful demeanor," Latios explained. "And since the shock and interest in meeting me and Latias has faded, the party has returned to normal."

"A good thing, too, they could have driven you mad," Pikachu commented, chuckling.

"They townspeople are more interested in Latias since she's more eager to be around them and she's new to them. They already knew about me from the TV battles," Latios continued. He looked to where his sister was, playing what seemed to be a combination of hide-and-seek and tag with the kids while their parents watched, laughing in amusement with surprised looks that a Legendary Pokémon could be so playful.

Pikachu chuckled, looking at the scene too. A small figure caught his attention and he froze in terror. "Gotta go, talk to you later!" he said as he ran away very fast and hid behind some tables. Latios and Phanpy stared at him oddly. They shrugged in puzzlement.

A few seconds later they noticed Gary's Umbreon walking around, almost like she was looking for something, or someone. Latios laughed, knowing why Pikachu had run away. "How brave…" he muttered.

Umbreon's ears twitched as she heard Latios' laugher. She smiled devilishly and walked up to him, knowing that the Eon dragon was good friends with Pikachu, so she was pretty sure he knew where he was. "Hello," she said.

"Hi," Latios replied.

"Where's Ash's Pikachu? I _know_ he has to be here," Umbreon asked, looking up at the dragon. "And I _know_ you know where he is."

Latios shrugged. "He's hiding from you behind the tables over there," he answered, pointing to Pikachu's hiding spot.

Pikachu's ears twitched when he heard this. _'Latios, you damn traitor!_' he thought furiously, knowing that Latios would hear his thoughts.

"_Who said I had a side in the first place?__ I was just telling the truth,"_ Latios thought back in a clearly fake innocent tone.

"Thanks!" Umbreon said in gratitude as she ran to where Latios had pointed. "You owe me a battle!" She yelled at Pikachu.

"Not now!" Pikachu replied as he ran away.

"Get back here and fight me!" Umbreon protested, chasing after him.

"I'm not in the mood for a battle! Besides, we can't fight during the party!" Pikachu shouted back as he ran.

"We can always move to a different part of the field. They're very big and we can find a nice arena somewhere. Now get back here!" Umbreon shouted, picking up the pace.

"That was funny," Phanpy commented after the two Pokémon had disappeared.. "Poor uncle Pikachu. Did you really have to do that?"

Latios laughed uproariously. "Yes. Yes I did." He paused, sensing something interesting. "Wait here kid, I'll be back in a second," he said to the small Ground-Type as he silently entered a small patch of bushes and trees without drawing any attention to himself. Once he was in, he turned invisible and flew away, grinning the whole time.

Meanwhile…

"Look at that little Latias…" Jessie muttered, gripping her binoculars tighter. "Just waiting to be claimed by Team Rocket…we have to move swiftly while Latios and Pikachu are out of sight and the twerp is distracted… Right?" A few seconds paused. "Right!"

She got no response as Meowth and James were more interested in the food. "Look at all that food…" James mumbled, his mouth watering.

"Yeah, if we could only get a huge loada that!" Meowth gushed. A vein appeared on Jessie's forehead. She hit them both on the head, _hard_.

"Ow…" James moaned, clutching his aching head.

"What was dat for!" Meowth screamed.

"We are supposed to be capturing Pokémon for the boss, not thinking about a meal!" she shouted, clearly angry.

"But after the Dark Devastator was destroyed, we tried to capture them a few times on their way back to Kanto, but we couldn't even get near them!" James protested. "How are we going to capture Pikachu or Latias and Latios if we can't even hope to beat them!"

"I don't know! We'll think of something! It's just a damn Pikachu and two lousy Dragons!" Jessie said angrily. "I'm sure we can capture them!"

"Ahem, what did you just call me?" Latios asked from behind them, his invisibility dropping. They froze in terror. "I dare you to say it again."

They turned slowly, coming to face the Eon dragon. They gulped. "M-Meowth… what did he say?" Jessie asked, trembling in fear.

"He dared you to call him what you just called them again," Meowth translated. Jessie bit her lip but remained quiet. Latios glared at them, causing them to shiver harder.

"Oops!" Jessie said, looking at her naked wrist. "Oh look at the time, its getting late, gotta go!" She took off running. James and Meowth followed, not wanting to stay near the Eon dragon a second more. Latios burst into laughter.

"Tell the main twerp I say hi!" James shouted back, running faster.

"I said hi too!" Meowth added.

"Team Rocket's running away again!" They chorused. Latios shook his head in amusement as his body began to glow. He fired a powerful sphere of bright light in their direction. The Luster Purge collided with them and exploded in a bright flash of light. "And now we're blasting off again!" They cried as they flew off into the distance.

"Done," Latios said as he turned and headed back to the party. Everything was still going the same. Latias was still playing around, Ash was _still_ eating, and he was also chatting with the professor, his mom, and Gary. He could sense Pikachu hiding in some nearby bushes, probably hiding from Umbreon. Well, for now he'd just enjoy the party and keep an eye on Latias...

"_On no you don't!"_ Latias said in his mind. He cringed slightly._ "I'm perfectly fine by myself for now, thank you very much!"_

"_Sorry sis, force of habit…"_ Latios thought back, sending a mental apology.

She projected a sweet smile in his mind. _"Its okay, I think the one that needs the protection now is Pikachu. Did you really have to tell Umbreon where he was?"_

Latios chuckled and shrugged in faux innocence. _"I had nothing better to do."_

"_Oh, brother…"_ Latias said in amusement. She shrugged and continued what she was doing, her mental talk with her brother not interrupted in the slightest. _"Though I think I heard a thought coming from Pikachu's mind, something along the lines of 'I'm gonna shock the living daylights out of Latios for this', so be careful," _she said. Latios laughed, not really caring. He was resistant to electricity, though…he had to admit the Pikachu zapped hard, so he'd have to be careful.

Latios noticed that a few people were crowding around Ash. No doubt the boy was telling them tales of his travels, and probably about him and Latias. He smiled and decided to go and hang out with them for a while, maybe even help Ash with the storytelling.

With that everyone continued enjoying themselves and spending time with each other and having fun, which was what parties were for.

* * *

A few hours later, after the party had ended and most of the guests returned home...

"Ah, that was awesome!" Ash said as he rubbed his belly. He was sitting on one of the sofas in the lobby of Professor Oak's lab.

"Ash, are you sure that in a past life you weren't a Snorlax?" Professor Oak asked, shaking his head in amusement.

"Snorlaxes eat a lot less than Ash," Gary noted, causing the aforementioned trainer to glare at him. Gary laughed.

"Well, today was certainly a good day!" Ash said happily, sinking back into the couch and closing his eyes.

"And I hope that next year, the party will be to celebrate your victory in the Hoenn League," Delia commented.

"I _will_ win!" Ash announced . "By then Latios will be a lot stronger, and the rest of my team too."

"So Ash, speaking of which, have you decided which team you're taking to Hoenn?" Professor Oak asked.

"Well, I was planning on having a fresh start, just with Pikachu, and Latias and Latios," Ash answered. "As much as starting with two Legendary Pokémon can be considered 'Fresh,' anyway."

"Ash, are you crazy?" Professor Oak said. "That's a terrible idea!"

"It is?" Ash questioned.

"First, you have to take Larvitar with you since, as I recall, you wanted to return him to his mother," Gary said. "That means he _has_ to go with you, no matter what."

Ash looked around guiltily, not believing he had forgotten about that. _"You forget a lot of stuff,"_ Latios said flatly.

"And," Professor Oak followed. "Remember that from what you said and the info we have, his mother is with a poacher. That means you are going to go looking for a criminal, so you'll need a strong team to take him on. I know Latias and Latios are strong, but it doesn't hurt anyone to be well prepared."

"I guess that makes sense…" Ash muttered.

"Also Ash, this may not have happened to you yet, mostly because you've spent most of your time in Silver Town, where security was tight, but everyone knows now that you have a Legendary Pokémon with you, and there will be some trainers that will try to steal Latios from you to have him as their own Pokémon," Professor Oak warned him.

Ash sighed, recalling that what the Professor said had already happened to him once with Lance, though he was glad the champion had seen the error of his ways. Team Rocket bugged him too, but they had been bothering him since way before he got Latios so they didn't count. "True…"

"Many will seek to attack you to get Latios, so you need a strong team to help protect yourselves," The Professor continued.

"Ash, please be careful…" Delia said, clearly worried.

"Its okay Delia, I'm sure Ash can take care of himself. Besides, he has his Pokémon. You know how attached his Pokémon are to him, they'll protect him," Professor Oak assured her. "Also, just because some guy tries to take Latios doesn't mean he is strong enough to do so, and Ash has Latias as an element of surprise. Most will be ready to take on Latios, but not Latias."

"Yeah, Gramps. So Ash, you better think of a nice team to take with you. Oh, and I would also suggest that you…capture Latias in a pokeball. If you're going poacher hunting, it'd be safer if she was captured, even is she stays out all the time," Gary suggested.

"I don't know… What do you think Latias?" Ash asked, turning to look at the red and white dragon hovering a few feet beside him.

She smiled. _"I'll allow myself to be captured," _she said. She glared in Latios' mind. _"And you better not say a thing, it's my choice!"_

"_I wasn't gonna say a__nything!"_ Latios protested. _"I don't mind, I trust Ash completely!" _Latias mentally giggled. Latios stared at her oddly.

"Are you sure?" Ash asked.

"_Yep!"_ She said, nodding vigorously.

Ash smiled at her. "Thanks."

"_And you can also take Pidgeot with us__, Ash,"_ Latias suggested. _"You didn't go back for her just to leave her here in the lab. She'll be devastated if you leave her behind again, but she'll love coming with us to Hoenn."_

"Yeah," Ash agreed, his face lighting up in a smile. "Latias, Latios, Pikachu, Pidgeot and Larvitar… that makes five. Who else?"

"_I s__ay Phanpy, Larvitar will enjoy his company, the two are like brothers,"_ Latios suggested.

"So that's it, the team I'm taking to Hoenn with me is Pikachu, Latios, Latias, Phanpy, Larvitar and Pidgeot," Ash announced. "I'll probably swap some once I get Hoenn Pokémon on my team."

Gary sweatdropped. "That's what you call a powerful team? I was expecting some others, but I guess that will do."

Ash laughed. "Latias, Latios and Pikachu will be very hard to defeat. Pidgeot is, after all her time training and being a flock leader in the Viridian Forest, a surprisingly strong Pokémon. The other two can be tough when they want to be."

"Alright," Gary conceded. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Ash said. He turned to Latias and smiled. "Ready?"

"Yes," she said.

Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and gently tapped it on Latias' neck, causing it to suck her in. The Pokéball shook a little, but it beeped when Latias didn't fight back and allowed herself to be captured. Ash smiled and looked at the Pokéball in his hands. "Ash, you are forgetting something," Latios and Pikachu said to him at the same time.

He paused. "Oh right!" he said. He stood up and posed dramatically. "Yes! I got…a Latias!" he shouted triumphantly, holding the Pokeball in an outstretched arm, a colorful and dynamic background appearing behind him.

Everyone facefaulted. "Ash… you've had that Latias for _months_!" Gary pointed out.

"Yes, but not _officially_," Ash said as he released Latias from her pokeball.

She looked a bit dizzy. "You're right brother, first time in there is always the weirdest…Does this continue the next time?"

"No, just the first few times while you get used to it," Latios answered her.

"It's been a while since I got inside a pokeball," Pikachu commented. "And I am so never going into one again."

"Oh, now I recall, Latios, think I can have a fea-" Professor Oak started.

"_No,"_ Latios said flatly.

"Well, was worth a shot…" the Pokémon professor muttered disappointedly.

"Well, I better go to the backyard and gather up the Pokémon I chose," Ash said as he stood up and walked out of the lab. Pikachu and the eon twins followed. "I'll be back soon for dinner!"

"Ash! You just ate at least an entire table's worth of food!" Gary cried.

"But its dinner!" Ash whined. Everyone shook their heads in amusement. With that Ash left to enjoy the rest of the day with his Pokémon.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the top secret Team Rocket Base…

Annie and Oakley grinned as they headed out of the storage room. Each had picked five Pokémon from Team Rocket's elite stash. They had decided to keep Espeon and Ariados, since the two Pokémon had been through a lot with them. "So, where to now?" Annie asked.

"We're going to meet up with Professor Sebastian," Oakley answered. "I want to see something."

"Alright," Annie said, pocketing the five new additions to her team.

"Hun! Attila! You coming?" Oakley called to the other team under Professor Sebastian's supervision.

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," Attila grumbled. Hun followed him.

"Good luck!" Tyson laughed as he, the Iron-Masked Marauder, Butch, and Cassidy headed to a different door. They had to reunite with their own lead scientist, after all. "Bet you four won't catch a thing, losers!"

"Yeah right," Hun said. "We'll see about that. Try not to get killed."

"Shut up Tyson. Let's go," the Iron-Masked Marauder grumbled, walking past the door. "Cassidy and Bitch! You come too, we better have some words with Professor Nanza before setting out, we have lots of planning to do."

Butch gave him a horrified look as everyone else paused. They laughed after they realized what Butch's name had been mistaken for. "IT'S BIFF!" he bellowed angrily, causing them to laugh even harder. He paused. "Wait! Scratch that, its Butch!"

"Bitch, that's a name I'm sure none of us will forget anytime soon," Attila commented, laughing.

"Let's go already," Oakley said in annoyance, walking to the door. The other three agents followed her, still suppressing some laughs.

"So, what did you want us for?" Attila asked, looking at Oakley.

"I wanted to see one of the field test recordings for the Prison Ball with Professor Sebastian, so we can get an idea of how they work," she explained, a smirk tugging her lips.

"Didn't we already see that with the Lugia hologram?" Hun questioned.

"No, remember Sebastian's words. That hologram was just to give us an idea of the power increase," Oakley answered. "Besides, if we do capture the Legendary Pokémon… we must be ready and know how they fight. We got an idea of the power increase but not on how it can be used in the battlefield…"

"Why are you so concerned Oakley?" Attila asked. "With such power, I doubt we can be stopped."

"No, I'm taking something else into account," Oakley replied.

Attila looked at her, clearly confused. "What's that?"

"I'm more concerned about what the other Legendary Pokémon we _don't_ capture will try to do when we enslave their brethren…" Oakley answered. "Many of you may not know it, but I've seen firsthand to what extent Legendary Pokémon can go to save and protect each other." She paused slightly as she remembered how Latios had taken two plasma nets as well as several direct attacks to protect Latias, using himself as a living shield. She growled lowly. "Aside from the two I saw do that, many others might be the same. We have to know how Incarcerated Pokémon manage themselves in battle in case the other Legendary Pokémon attack us to free their captured friends. Legendary Pokémon are no ordinary living beings, if we are unprepared, despite the power of Incarcerated Pokémon, we can still lose to them."

"Hmm, that could be true…I never thought of that. The only assignment I've ever had involving a Legendary was with a Raikou," Hun muttered. "Good thinking…"

"We have to be well prepared. Before we can comfortably start our plans, we first must deal with the remaining Legendary Pokémon," Oakley said as they neared the lab.

"But," Attila started. "In the end we'll still win. Even if we lose and the Pokémon we capture are freed, the effects of the Prison Balls are irreversible!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Let's see what Professor Pointy has in store for us," Annie commented.

They arrived and stood in front of the door to the lab. They entered a code, and after gaining clearance to proceed, they entered. Professor Sebastian turned to the door, seeing his two teams come in. "Greeting. Already got enough Pokémon to fill out full six teams?"

"Yeah," Annie answered. "We are ready to start searching for Legendaries."

"Actually," Professor Sebastian began. "The real Legendary Pokémon hunting doesn't begin for a few months."

"What?" Attila questioned. "Why so long?"

"First, we have to gather sufficient data to know where they are, where they might be, how to find them, and how to beat them and capture them. Take Legendary Pokémon like Deoxys, Rayquaza and Ho-Oh for example, they are Pokémon that are within your assignments and they could be _anywhere _on the entire planet. We have to learn how to look for them and beat them before we move to capturing them."

"Oh," Attila muttered.

"We can't just appear out of nowhere and throw a Prison Ball at anything that moves," Professor Sebastian said. The agents laughed Mareepishly at this, realizing he was right.

"Though, I kinda agree," Oakley commented. "If we don't capture them on the first try, they'll know what to expect, and they might spread the word of our plans among other Legendary Pokémon, making it all the harder for us to catch them."

"Precisely," Professor Sebastian said, nodding. "The other two teams are probably receiving the same talk from Professor Nanla."

"Well, thanks for telling us that, but there's something else we wanted to ask you. At the meeting you mentioned that you'd pitted an Incarcerated Pokémon against a dozen of Team Rocket's elite trained Pokémon in a battle. Do you have that recording?" Oakley asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes," the scientist answered. He shivered slightly. "It was terrifying. A few of my scientists fainted from fear."

"May we see it? We want to see how Incarcerated Pokémon manage themselves in battle," Oakley stated.

"Very well, but I warn you… it's rather disturbing. When I said 'annihilated' at the meeting, I_ really _meant it," Professor Sebastian said. "Apparently the infusion of concentrated Darkness energy into the Pokémon causes some…side effects," the scientist explained.

"Why is it so concentrated?" Attila asked.

"Because the Dark energy serves several purposes. It grants immunity to troublesome Psychics, and it's what increases the Pokémon's power to sky-high levels in the first place. We didn't anticipate the…changes, however." He walked over to one of the lab computers and typed several commands. He motioned to one of the large screens on the wall. "Behold."

The screen flashed as the recording was played. It depicted Professors Sebastian and Namba as well as several members from their research team inside a circular arena. They were on a platform on top, suspended around thirty meters off the floor. Below them were twelve Pokémon, all looking fierce and well trained. "This is field test number one, the first battle sequence for an Incarcerated Pokémon. The test subject is a Sneasel that was subjected to capture by a Prison Ball…or rather, it _was _a Sneasel, after the capture, the powerful darkness energies forced it to evolve, so the subject is now a Weavile," the Professor Sebastian in the recording said.

"Once captured, we released it as soon as possible to see our creation, but we noted the assimilation process between the Prison Ball and its capture takes time, around five minutes to be precise. It can happen either inside or outside of the Prison Ball, the result is the same," Professor Namba said.

Professor Sebastian nodded. "The process was apparently extremely painful to the victim…and before our eyes, something astounding occurred. The subject experienced physical changes from the energy it was infused with, more than simply evolving. Observe," he said as he held out a single Prison Ball. He turned to the field and threw it. "Weavile, go!"

The Incarcerated Pokémon appeared. The opposing dozen Pokémon tensed visibly, clearly startled by the monstrosity before them. The real Professor Sebastian paused the tape.

Attila, Hun, Annie and Oakley gasped. "What…the…hell!" Oakley said slowly, her mouth dropping in awe.

"That's no Weavile…" Attila muttered. "What happened to it?"

"I don't remember the Lugia you used in the hologram looking like that," Hun commented.

"That's because we didn't know what would happen to it physically as a result of Incarceration. We only used it to compare power levels," Professor Sebastian answered.

"Ah, so that's why," Attila muttered. Professor Sebastian magnified the image of the Weavile so it filled the whole screen.

The Weavile was a lot different than a regular one. The claws that made up each hand had tripled in length, each having streaks of black and dark purple energy coating them. The skin color had changed to a jet black and the feathers on the crown, tail and ears had turned a dark purple, with extremely sharp darkness-coated edges. The claws on the feet had become sharper and deadlier as well. On its wrists and ankles, the Sharp Claw Pokémon had large black shackles, with chains that coiled up the arms and legs to join at the neck in a thick collar. A black mask covered the Weavile's face with a grille over the mouth, barely hiding vicious fangs from view. Two holes in the mask revealed the Weavile's bright red, almost evil glowing eyes. Despite the demonic glow coming from them, they reflected no will, no emotions, nothing, just a void of death. All of the bonds seemed to be metal, but upon closer look they were actually made of solid darkness, light as a feather but hard as steel.

"What is all that stuff?" a stunned Oakley asked.

"You mean the shackles, chains and the like?" Professor Sebastian replied.

Oakley nodded. "Yeah, that looks creepy."

"And badass," Attila added.

"It's the physical manifestation of the Prison Ball's control over the captured Pokémon, made from solid darkness," the scientist said proudly. "The very power of the Prison Ball."

"Wow, nice," Attila commented.

"We are not certain yet what effects the darkness will have to the willpower-less Pokémon, though," Professor Sebastian admitted. "While you all gather data, Professor Nanro and I will continue to investigate and learn from it. The Pokémon may experience mental breakdowns or something. After all, it has no willpower to resist the dark power."

"So, let's see that thing in combat," Oakley said eagerly.

"Alright," Professor Sebastian said. "Just try not to puke." He pressed the forward bottom on the remote control, continuing the footage.

"Now," Professor Namba said. "Let's see the battle!"

The recorded Professor Sebastian turned to the battle field. "Attention all of you!" he called. The dozen Pokémon looked up at him. "Your orders are to defeat and kill this lone Pokémon. Use any attacks, abilities and force necessary!" he shouted. He looked at the Weavile. "Incarcerated Weavile, we have plenty of elite Pokémon in our possession…so kill them."

The agents stared intently at the screen, eager to see what was coming next. The Incarcerated Pokémon took immediate actions the second the orders were given. The apparent leader of the dozen Pokémon, a bulky and strong-looking Charizard, stepped up, ready to take on the Darkness Pokémon. The other eleven backed up a bit, letting it make the first move. The Fire-Type took a deep breath and exhaled a plume of fire, directing it at the Weavile. The Incarcerated Pokémon moved to the side with a massive burst of speed, almost disappearing from sight. The Fire-Type barely reacted as he used an Aerial Ace to move out of the way of the claw strike that was almost an inch too close to its face. He reappeared a few feet off the ground and fired a potent Fire-Blast. The Incarcerated Weavile leaped in the air as its claws shone an eerie black and grew in thickness and length. With a swing the Sharp Claw Pokémon sliced the Fire-Blast in two with Night Slash, extinguishing it with ease, and continuing quickly towards the airborne Charizard.

The Charizard let out an alarmed shriek and opened its jaws, a miniature sun beginning to form in it as it charged the ultimate fire move, Blast Burn. The Weavile reached the Charizard too fast and made a claw strike. The Charizard quickly thrust its arms forward, catching both of the long claws, and winced as they dug deep into his flesh. But this battle was life and death, so injuries didn't matter as long as you came out alive.

The Weavile's body began to emit morbid pulses of dark energy as an orb of shadows gathered in its claws in a twisted version of Shadow Ball. The Weavile pushed the orb forward, ripping the Charizard's arms apart and slamming it in its chest, _punching through it_ and bursting out of its back. The Charizard let out a deafening scream of pain as its incomplete Blast Burn dissipated. The Weavile's claws lengthened as they gathered a large amount of darkness energy in the form of another Night Slash. With a quick slash, the Charizard was silenced as its wings were cut off and it was decapitated. The Weavile landed on the floor as the Charizard fell from the air, body parts landing in different spots accompanied by a rain of blood. The other Pokémon looked at the scene absolutely terrified.

Attila, Hun, Annie and Oakley were absolutely speechless as they looked at the recording. "Any questions?" Professor Sebastian asked. They shook their heads dumbly.

Oakley grinned maliciously. _'That's just amazing! I wonder how the Legendary Pokémon will react to that! Still, Legendary Pokémon are incredibly resourceful, we have to be careful… And Ash and Latios…Latias you too! Even if it takes me months to make my capture… I will find you, and you three will pay!'_

In the footage, another elite Pokémon yelled several things. The other ten Pokémon quickly got into what seemed to be a defensive formation. With a demonic roar, the Weavile lunged, obeying its command of killing the Pokémon, and so the carnage continued…

Annie, Oakley, Attila and Hun stared at the recording in awe and terror. The Weavile showed no mercy as they watched it systematically murder all the other Pokémon with relatively little effort, showing no compassion, no remorse…nothing, just blind obedience.

"This is amazing…" Oakley commented. "I so want my own incarcerated Pokémon…"

"That's really creepy…" Annie said with a shiver. She had never been one for things like that, so after the first two or three kills, she turned around, unable to watch anymore.

"Mm, a Legendary would make an awesome servant to have as an Incarcerated Pokémon…" Hun muttered.

"The world can rest for a few months while we gather the necessary data and start to search for our targets…" Professor Sebastian said darkly. "When we start making our captures… the world shall shiver in fear."

"Too bad we'll take months making our captures…" Oakley lamented. "I want to have an Incarcerated Legendary now!"

"Remember Agent Oakley…Patience is the key," Professor Sebastian said.

"I have a question," Hun said, looking at the scientist. He nodded, acknowledging her question. "You said the effects were irreversible. What did you mean by that?"

Professor Sebastian took a breath before starting his explanation. "Well, when the Prison Ball was reset, the extensive amounts of Darkness energy plaguing the Pokémon receded back into the Ball, so all the chains, shackles, and everything else disappeared from the Weavile. For further analysis, we tried it on a non-dark Type Pokémon, a Fearow to be exact. When the Prison Ball was reset, the Pokémon retained all three types: Dark, Normal and Flying. Again, all the chains and bondage seemed to disappear. The physical changes, however, remained, though they were less notable than before. As time passed, the changes began to slowly recede as the Darkness energy disappeared from the Pokémon, but the Pokémon retained the Dark typing, as well as the lack of will and emotions. There were no sighs of recovering from that."

Hun nodded. "And…"

We tried using several healing moves and different treatments, but…nothing worked. We were unable to restore the Pokémon, but we noticed that the Dark-Typing was slowly fading away. That meant that maybe the Pokémon would eventually lose the dark-Typing. However, without the Prison Ball to command it, we had no way to make it move or do anything, even to do basic functions like eating and stuff, so the Pokémon would have died of starvation before any of that could happen. Sadly, the Pokémon had to be killed due to time constraints before we could verify that, but there was no progress in the will or emotion part," Professor Sebastian explained. "As far as we know, since it was completely destroyed by the Prison Ball, their willpower and emotions can never be restored."

"Alright," Hun said, pleased with the explanation.

"Well, we have plenty of planning to do…and searching…and data gathering…and…oh man, this will be a lot more tedious that I expected," Attila lamented. "Oh well, at least the long wait is worth it."

"Yes…" Annie said, a sinister look in her eyes. "It certainly will be."

* * *

And Chapter 26 has ended! I hope you all liked it! Team Rocket's plan is shaping up nicely isn't it? Don't worry, Ash has a few months to prepare and get ready, enough to do a few gyms and some more stuff in Hoenn, or continue his Pokémon Journey normally, at least until he learns of Team Rocket's new toys. Looks like everyone's favorite chosen one will have a lot of work to do when he does learn of Team Rocket!

Next Chapter (27) is A New Chance At Life's final chapter! Wheee! I can't believe I am finally getting this fanfic done. Wow.

And after that, comes the sequel. A New Chance For Adventure. If you are curious on some of the stuff I'll have in the sequel, next chapter I'll give you some hints as to what you can look forward to.

Anyway, I'll be happy if you all leave a **Review!** =D Have a good day.


	27. Journey To A New Land

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

A/N: Here's chapter 27! Sorry for the rather long wait. I had some little difficulties. Oh well. Despite being late, here's the chapter! It's A New Chance At Life's FINAL chapter! =D After that, off we go to the Sequel. Enjoy!

And someone made a TV tropes page for A New Chance At Life! Awesome! =D Thanks a Lot! *_Very_ happy dance* If you are interested in taking a peek, the link to it is on my profile page.

Now, on to the chapter!

* * *

Two days passed rather quickly for Ash, who was more eager to go to Hoenn than ever. Latias and Latios were also eager, especially at the prospect of seeing Alto Mare, their beloved hometown, again. However, the two eon dragons also loved the hospitality of Pallet Town. They could go around visibly with no problems, and were always greeted with kind smiles and positive emotions from the townspeople. They also trained more, doing their regular mental exercises so they could expand the prowess of their minds. Latios and Latias often went to the rocky area of Prof. Oak's backyard to do their Rock-lifting, or meditated for hours at Ash's home (Much to Latias's dismay. Thankfully the idea of freely speaking with anyone telepathically was a good motivator).

Ash was currently getting ready for their departure to Vermillion City, the port city from where he would be taking the ferry to Alto Mare.

"So how do I look?" Ash asked as he finished putting on the new set of clothes his mother had given him for his new adventure.

"You look wonderful dear," Delia replied, looking over at her son carefully to see how the clothes fit him.

"Yeah, not bad at all," Pikachu commented, cocking his head to the side.

"_Yep, I agree, those clothes fit you nicely,"_ Latias agreed, nodding in approval.

"_I like the excessive blue in them,"_ Latios commented. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Of course you like the blue," Pikachu said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Latios glared at him.

"Thanks mom, it's so awesome!" Ash said, looking at himself enthusiastically. He was wearing a mostly blue outfit again, with even more blue than the previous one. His new sneakers were blue with a darker shade of blue where the ties went. His jeans were a lighter shade of blue than the previous ones, and he now wore a blue hoodie-style sweatshirt with a white 'U' on the lower front of the shirt. It also had a bright yellow line running all along the bottom of it and dark blue sleeves. Ash's usual fingerless gloves were now black. In front of his shirt hung the necklace with the Latias and Latios figurines that Latias had given him all the way back in Alto Mare. He took his old cap off and looked at it for a moment. "I'll miss it… a lot…" he said sadly. To his dismay, the change of clothes also came with a change of hat.

Everyone laughed. _"But you have a new one," _Latios reminded him, pointing to the new one sitting on the table.

"But this is an Official Pokémon League Expo hat! I sent over a million postcards in to get it!" Ash argued. "It's absolutely irreplaceable!"

"Dear, that model is from two years ago. This is this year's model," Delia informed him, knowing that would do the trick.

Ash looked astonished. "Really? Did you send a million postcards to get it?" he asked, clearly shocked at the prospect, wondering how his mother had the patience to fill out over a million postcards. Ash had spent months filling and sending them.

"Nope, I just had to send one," Delia answered offhandedly.

Ash's jaw dropped in awe. "H-h-how!" he stuttered. She had to send just one postcard to get a hat while he had to send over a million!

"Well, my postcard didn't have the _terrible _grammar and spelling mistakes your million postcards had, and the Pokémon League had special consideration of it because they know you're a trainer with a Legendary Pokémon," Delia answered. Ash scratched the back of his head Mareepishly. His writing wasn't that bad, was it?

"_Yes, it is,"_ Latios said flatly in his mind, causing Ash to yelp in surprise.

"_And you know it,"_ Latias finished before he could protest. Ash groaned and decided to not argue a lost cause, not that he had a chance to fight back if he tried.

Ash looked at the new hat on the table skeptically. It was red with a dark blue front and an upside down green Pokéball design. Ash looked at his old hat sadly. "But… this hat has so many memories…" he muttered, a far-off look into his reddish eyes. An annoyed look crossed his face as the only adventure that came to his mind was Mankey and later Primeape beating him to a pulp over that hat. Why was that the only adventure in his mind? Probably because Latias was messing with his memories.

"Hey!" Ash yelled.

"_Sorry, I couldn't resist,"_ Latias apologized, though it was clear this was one of her common pranks as evidenced by the fact that she seemed to be holding back fits of giggling.

"Oh, just put it on already and stop whining," Pikachu muttered.

Latias' eyes glowed as she psychically grabbed the new hat and put it on Ash's head. _"Done,"_ she said, smiling joyfully.

"Hey!" Ash said, crossing his arms. "That's not fair!"

"_Yes it is,"_ Latias countered, giggling softly.

"Hey, it doesn't look that bad, Ash," Delia noted, admiring it. "I think the more extensive blue coloring of the shirt and the redder cap looks great. They also match your red eyes better," she commented. Ash blushed.

"_Yeah, you look great! Red cap and blue shirt really does bring out your eyes," _Latias agreed, causing Ash to blush at the praise.

"Why are girls always looking at the fashion sense of everything?" Ash asked.

"It's a girl thing," Delia answered.

"Okay…"Ash muttered, not sure what 'girl thing' meant in this situation. He looked at the hat in his hands yet again. "I will miss it…" he muttered…again. Before he had a chance to keep admiring it, Mimey snatched it from his hands. "Hey! Where are you taking it?"

"I'm going to display it with your trophies…" the Psychic-Type informed him. He looked at the hat and did a double take. "But first I'll wash it," Mimey mumbled before heading out of the room.

"And you also get a new backpack," Delia announced, holding out a compact green backpack. "It's already filled with everything you'll need."

"Thanks a lot mom," Ash said as he took the backpack. "I really like it!"

"At least you aren't complaining about the backpack as much as the hat," Pikachu commented.

"Well, I didn't have to send a million postcards in to get it…" Ash responded. He opened it to check the contents, only to blush and close it immediately. His Pokémon tilted their heads, wondering what was up.

"As you noticed, aside from all the stuff you may need, I also packed several extra pairs of clean underwear. Don't forget to change it everyday!" Delia reminded Ash in a happy tone. Latias, Latios and Pikachu snorted as they tried to contain their laugher. Sadly, they failed and started laughing hysterically. Ash blushed a deeper shade of red from the embarrassment.

"Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Ash whined, knowing that this was going to become another topic for his Pokémon to rag him about. "If you three mess with me for this… please don't do it in public..." he pleaded.

"Ash…the general public can't understand us," Pikachu reminded him. Ash groaned in despair.

"I don't care, no matter how old you get, you'll always be my cute little baby boy," Delia said lovingly, walking to Ash and hugging him tightly. Ash hugged his mother back.

Latias, Latios and Pikachu 'awed' at the family scene. "I want a family hug too!" Latias squealed happily, and before Latios could react, she threw herself on him. "Hug brother!" Latios chuckled at her antics and hugged her back.

Delia smiled and parted from Ash. "Take care dear," she said, her voice filled with worry.

Ash grinned. "I'll be fine! Don't worry. It's my third region, so I'm not a newbie by now."

"You still act like one," Pikachu commented, chuckling. Ash wisely ignored him.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I'm nervous that you're going to a new region alone, with no friends this time…" Delia muttered sadly.

"No friends? What are we, chopped liver?" Latios muttered.

"I wouldn't like to be chopped liver, that sounds painful," Latias said, causing her brother to sweatdrop.

Ash smiled at Delia reassuringly. "Brock said that maybe he'll rejoin us later."

"I'm still worried," Delia said, a concerned expression on her face.

"Don't worry, I have my Pokémon, they'll take care of me," Ash assured.

"Ah, now they mention us," Latios said. "About time."

Delia glanced at the eon dragons and Pikachu, smiling softly. She didn't doubt their devotion to Ash in the slightest, and they were all very strong. She walked up to them and glanced specifically at Latios, who she knew was currently Ash's strongest Pokémon, and the reason why other trainers might mess with him in the first place. "Latios, promise me you aren't going to let my little boy get hurt," she said firmly.

Latios smiled at her and nodded, giving a low bow. _"I promise on my honor as a Legendary Pokémon I will not let any harm befall Ash. You have my word."_

"And I promise too!" Pikachu said, smiling proudly.

Latios chuckled. _"Pikachu says he promises that too."_

"_Me too!"_ Latias added.

"See mom, there's nothing to worry about," Ash assured Delia, smiling at his Pokémon, silently thanking them.

"Okay," Delia agreed, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Since you aren't letting me get hurt, does that mean I can do all kinds of stuff with no worries since you'll be there to protect me?" Ash wondered, glancing at Latios.

Latios grimaced at the idea. _"Hell no! If you start doing silly antics and expect me to bail you out of them all the time, I'm putting a psychic leash on you!"_

Ash's jaw dropped in terror. "You wouldn't dare!" He exclaimed, utterly horrified at the idea.

"_Try me,"_ Latios dared.

"But I'm the trainer!" Ash argued.

"_Am I supposed to care?"_ Latios countered, grinning.

"Okay, okay I'll behave," Ash said quickly, giving in since he knew that arguing with a Legendary Pokémon was probably not a good idea. Latios laughed. Everyone else chuckled in amusement. Delia smiled, clearly happy not only about Latios protecting Ash because of the promise he made, but also because he and Ash were very close friends.

"Anyway," Delia started, attracting all the attention. "Like before I packed up things you might need for your journey in your backpack. Like maps. Lots of maps. Though I'm not sure how useful they'll be if you never actually read them." Ash sweatdropped and his Pokémon snickered. "And here are your tickets to go to Alto Mare, and from Alto Mare to Little Root Town," she finished, handing Ash two tickets. "Your ship leaves in two hours."

"_Hey, the ticket from Alto Mare has pictures of us printed in it!"_ Latios commented excitedly.

"_Awesome!"_ Latias agreed.

"Hehe, it certainly looks good," Ash agreed.

"_Thankfully Pokémon don't have to pay a traveling fee,"_ Latias commented.

"_Even if Pokémon had to pay, we could turn invisible and go for free anyways,"_ Latios said.

"How long did you say it'd take us to reach Vermillion, Latios?" Ash asked.

"_About forty-five minutes at a moderate speed. It's not that long of a flight,"_ he answered.

"Okay," Ash acknowledged. "I'll go to the professor's lab to say my goodbyes before taking fight to Vermilion."

"Alright Ash," Delia said with teary eyes. "Goodbye, and take care on your new journey."

"Goodbye mom," Ash said, hugging her once more.

"Win the league dear, and take care…goodbye! And…and…Waaaaahhhh!" Delia cried, bursting into tears at the sad departure.

Ash smiled sweetly. "Don't worry mom, I'll be fine," he assured her yet again, comforting his mother. They parted with a smile. Ash walked to the exit, his Pokémon beside him. He turned back to Delia before departing. "Wish me luck!"

"Of course I will, dear," Delia said, a proud tone in her voice. _'Make your dreams finally come true and win the league…I know you can!'_ she thought to herself, hoping that her son would manage to finally win and not feel the disappointment of losing again.

"Don't worry, mom, my dreams will become reality thanks to Latios! The next time you see me, I'll be the winner of the Hoenn League!" Ash said happily. "Until then…bye, mom!" He gave her one last quick hug, turned to the exit and walked out of the house, Delia blinked in confusion.

Delia closed the door behind him, biting her lip hard and doing her best not to cry. "Oh, Ash…"

"Good riddance," Mimey muttered to himself. "Now I don't have to clean up after him anymore." He smiled sinisterly. "Plus…I have Delia all to myself! Muwahahahaha!"

"Mimey, this is a sad occasion! Ash is gone and it's just you and me again! Now is not the time to laugh!" Delia scolded, completely unaware of the clown's true thoughts now that Latios and Latias were gone.

"Er, yes, of course," Mimey said, assuming a sorrowful expression…while smiling on the inside.

"Now go and clean something!" Delia scolded again. Mimey nodded sadly and walked away. Typical jealous Pokémon…

…

An uneventful five-minute walk later, Ash and his Pokémon reached Professor Oak's lab.

"Hello!" Ash called, knocking on the door several times. "Professor, are you there?"

Professor Oak opened the door. "Oh, hi Ash." He gasped. "Wait a second…Ash? Shouldn't you be going to Vermillion already! You'll be late for your ship!"

"No I won't," Ash responded. "Latios will take me to Vermillion, I'll get there in time."

"Ah, right," Professor Oak muttered. "So, what brings you here?" he asked.

"I just came to say goodbye," Ash said, smiling at the professor.

"If I recall, you departed to the Orange Islands without saying goodbye, and you did the same thing when you went to Johto," Professor Oak deadpanned.

"Er, sorry about that…I don't want it to happen again!" Ash said, scratching his head Mareepishly.

"It's good that you came by, actually. I forgot to update your PokéDex with the information on Hoenn Pokémon," the professor said.

"The only entries mine has are of Latias and Latias, correct?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, only those two. I can't believe I forgot to tell you sooner…" the professor muttered. "Not that it'd change a thing, you could have still gotten the update from professor Birch."

"Well, here," Ash said, handing over his PokéDex. Oak took it and walked to a computer that was on a desk nearby and plugged a cord into the small machine.

"_Why do you even need that? Latias and I can tell you nearly anything you need to know about other Pokémon,"_ Latios asked telepathically.

"It's for reference, just in case," Ash answered. "And I happen to like my PokéDex."

"It called you stupid on your first day as a trainer," Pikachu reminded him. Ash bristled while Latias and Latios laughed. Professor Oak looked at them oddly, since he hadn't understood what Pikachu had said.

"It didn't say me in particular!" Ash countered.

"No, but we both knew it was literally screaming that to you," Pikachu replied, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "It said, and I quote, 'Rattata often leave their habitat to steal food from stupid travelers.'" Ash fumed. How could Pikachu remember that so well after all this time?

"You know Ash; it's really weird to see you talking to Pokémon so openly. How do you understand their words?" Professor Oak asked. "All I hear is Pikachu saying his name a lot."

"I hear the same thing you hear," Ash answered. "The difference is that I can somehow make words and sentences out of his speech patterns, same for all Pokémon. Even I don't know how it works yet…"

"That's really interesting," the professor noted. "I wonder if I can replicate that…"

"_Considering how Ash got his gift of Poke-speech, I doubt you can replicate it,"_ Latios commented. Professor Oak moaned in disappointment.

The computer beeped. "Update completed," it said on a mechanical voice. Professor Oak unplugged the cord and handed the PokéDex to Ash.

"There, it's updated with information on all the Pokémon from Hoenn," Professor Oak said.

"Thanks," Ash said, grinning as he took the PokéDex.

"You're welcome Ash," Professor Oak replied, smiling at the young Pokémon trainer.

"Hey, where's Gary? I want to say bye too to him," Ash asked.

"He left an hour ago for Viridian City. He wanted to check up on some things before he starts his new work as a Pokémon researcher," Professor Oak informed him.

"Aww, I really wanted to say goodbye," Ash muttered. "Well, I'll try to catch up with him before going to Vermillion." Ash turned to the door. "Thanks, Professor! I'll make sure to call from Hoenn every once in a while."

"Before you go… Latios!" Professor Oak began, causing the eon dragon to turn to look at him. "Please, can I have a feather! I really want one! It'd be a wonderful opportunity to study a feather that can turn invisible!"

Latios rolled his eyes. _"You aren't leaving me alone about that, right?"_

"Just one!" Professor Oak pleaded. "Considering the dimensions of your body and the apparent size of your feathers, you could have thousands! One won't hurt…"

"Go ahead Latios, it's just a feather," Pikachu commented. "I doubt it affects you in any way."

"_Alright,"_ Latios conceded, causing the professor to grin happily. His eyes glowed as he plucked a random blue feather from his neck and levitated it to Oak's outstretched hand.

"Wow, its smaller than I thought," Oak muttered, looking at the relatively tiny feather in his hand. "Can I have a white one too?" he asked. Latios' eye twitched. "What! The coloring of the feather may affect the way it manipulates light to turn invisible!" he said quickly.

"_Ugh, fine,"_ Latios said as he psychically removed another feather, a grayish white one this time, and handed it to the professor.

"And a red one," The professor said. Before Latios could say anything he continued. "Difference of colors!" he argued. Latios's eye twitched.

Latias giggled and handed him one of her reddish feathers psychically. _"There."_

Professor Oak blinked. "You didn't put up a fight…"

"_Well, I don't really mind. If you had asked me in the first place, I would have said yes the first time,"_ Latias told him, smiling.

Professor Oak facefaulted. "I really should have asked you first instead of Latios…"

"_Yep, you should have, I'm not a grouch like my brother,"_ Latias said. Latios glared in annoyance at her as everyone else laughed. Latias put a really sweet face and looked at him, and Latios found himself unable to stay angry.

Professor Oak looked at the three small feathers in his palm. "Finally!"

Ash laughed. "Yep, finally."

Professor Oak walked to one of the desks and took out a small glass container. "Don't want them to get contaminated," he muttered, giddy that he had something new to study. He carefully placed the feathers in the container and walked back to the group. "Thank you Latias, Latios."

"_No problem,"_ Latias said, smiling.

"Well Ash, I wish you the best of luck in the Hoenn League," Professor Oak told the trainer. "Make Pallet Town famous!"

"Thanks, and don't worry, I will!" Ash promised. "Bye! Tell Tracey I say goodbye too!"

"I will," Professor Oak said. With that Ash walked out of the lab and started running in the direction he remembered Viridian City was, wanting to catch up to Gary.

"Ash, what's the hurry?" Pikachu asked, almost getting knocked off his shoulder from the running.

"I need to cover the distance Gary has walked in this hour!" Ash answered. Pikachu facepalmed.

"_When do you think he'll realize he has two dragons that can fly faster than the speed of sound that could take him there in a flash?"_ Latias asked her brother.

"_In about half an hour when he drops from exhaustion and realizes he hasn't covered much distance… and that Viridian City isn't even in that direction…"_ Latios answered, stifling a laugh.

"_Brother…"_ Latias began, an almost scolding tone in her voice.

"_Oh, alright, I'll spare him the waste of time and the tiredness…"_ Latios conceded, Latias smiled and nodded approvingly.

Latios floated up to the running Ash and levitated him up and onto his back. "Hey!" Ash protested.

"You do realize that Viridian city is _not_ that way right?" Latios asked, shaking his head in amusement. "And that you aren't going to reach Gary in time."

Ash blushed in embarrassment, sulking. "Alright, you lead the way," he said, embarrassed by his poor navigation skills. Latios chuckled and took off in the right direction to Viridian.

"One day you'll be jealous of my navigating skills…" Ash muttered. His Pokémon all stifled laughs. Ash grunted in annoyance.

After a few minutes of flying, they quickly closed in on the other Pallet Town trainer, seeing him on the road off in the distance. Pikachu stiffened when he saw that Gary's Umbreon was walking at his side. "Damn… why is she out of her Pokeball _now_ of all times!" he groaned, sinking on Ash's shoulder in despair.

"Because you two are fated to battle," Ash responded jokingly. Everyone stared at him. "What? That joke sounded a lot better in my head…"

"Actually, I heard it in your head too, and even there it sounded terrible," Latios deadpanned. "Pikachu, if you want to get her off your back, let her beat you up."

"No! She'll get _angrier_ if that happens because she wants to fight me at full power!" Pikachu replied, horrified at what she might do to him if he let her win.

Latios considered this. "Who knows, maybe there's another reason she wants to fight you alone," he commented, grinning.

"Which might be…" Pikachu trailed off, having a bad feeling about the Dragon's next comment.

"She just might be into you," Latios concluded, nodding to himself in approval. Not a second later Pikachu shocked him (and Ash, who was unfortunately riding atop Latios too) with several hundred volts of electricity.

"Not a chance!" Pikachu yelled, shaking his head rapidly.

"How cuuute!" Latias remarked. "Denial is kicking in!" Pikachu's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Ow… was that necessary?" Ash moaned.

"Yes, it was. Sorry, you were collateral damage," Pikachu told his trainer apologetically.

"I'll get you for that," Latios growled. Even with his Dragon-Typing, he had to admit Pikachu's zaps hurt. "But, that doesn't take away the fact that she said she wanted to fight you alone."

Pikachu shook his head rapidly. "That's not it! She just wants to fight me alone because that way Ash won't see through her attacks with the powers he got from _you_."

"It's still _alooooooone_," Latios repeated, drawing the word out and stifling giggles. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled dangerously. "I just wonder if with all this denial, Pikachu is also into _her_…" he commented slowly. Pikachu stared at him in utter terror, gawking in disbelief.

"And I can confirm it… remember, I can sense emotions and the feelings of others…" Latias followed, grinning all too sweetly at the Electric-Type. Pikachu flushed in embarrassment and sunk into Ash's shoulder.

"I'm not!" he yelled. Latias smirked and pretended to ignore him. He grinned a second later, getting an idea on how to keep the dragoness quiet just in case she sensed something. "Oh Latias, I don't need any fancy senses to know who _your_ little love interest is, so I think we have a fair deal…unless you want me to tell him…" he told her, smiling devilishly.

Latias blushed and looked away. "Deal," she said quickly. "Don't say a word and I won't say a word, either psychically or verbally." Pikachu nodded in satisfaction. Latios had to suppress a laugh, earning himself a mental glare from Latias.

"Can we go down already?" Ash asked in exasperation. Despite understanding every word they said, the terms they were using seemed too alien for him to hope to comprehend so he wisely decided not to ask.

"Yes please! At this rate I'd rather face Umbreon than you two!" Pikachu pleaded loudly. Latios laughed and glided downwards, followed by a giggling Latias.

"Hi!" Ash called as he neared the ground, causing Gary to turn around, mildly surprised to see Latias and Latios hovering towards him with Ash on Latios' back.

"Heh, already exploiting the convenient transport advantages Latios gives?" Gary chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Ash answered, hopping off the eon dragon's back. "I try to avoid that since I prefer walking, but for emergencies he's great."

Umbreon looked at Ash and blinked in confusion. Pikachu wasn't on his shoulder. How odd. She shrugged and walked up the eon duo while Ash walked up to Gary. "So, what brings you here?" Gary asked.

"I just wanted to wish you luck on your journey," Ash answered.

"You came all the way here just to say that?" Gary asked in surprise.

Ash laughed. "Well, I do happen to have that 'convenient transport advantage' so it's not that big deal. I was going to talk to you at Oak's but you weren't around."

While the humans talked, Umbreon was making her demands known. "Where is he?" she asked.

Latios shrugged and did a barrel roll, causing Pikachu, who had been trying to hide on the Dragon's back, to fall off him and land in front of Umbreon. She grinned, looming over him. "Hello there," she said.

"Hello," Pikachu said nervously, standing up and taking a few steps back.

"Oh don't worry, I can't fight you now… lucky for you…" she grumbled.

"Really?" Pikachu asked hopefully.

"Yeah, Gary decided to only take me and Blastoise with him for now, and since we're going to be in this forest until we reach Viridian, I need to preserve my strength in case some silly wild Pokémon decides to mess with us," Umbreon explained, shaking her head unhappily. "Not that they'd be too troublesome, I could beat them easily, but you know how humans can get."

Pikachu sighed in relief. "Thankfully," he muttered.

"But that doesn't mean you're off the hook!" Umbreon snapped, causing Pikachu to fall back in surprise. "You better train hard, because when you get back from Hoenn, or if we meet along the way, we're having our battle. I'll be ready, despite Gary leaving the battle circuit."

"Alright," Pikachu said, giving in. At least the fight was put on hold for now.

She smirked. "See you until then," Umbreon said as she turned and walked back to Gary's side.

"_Looks like you got yourself a date,"_ Latios teased. A vein throbbed on Pikachu's forehead.

"Why did you have to roll over and expose me? I was perfectly safe hidden on your back," Pikachu said angrily.

"Nah, if she discovered I was hiding you, she'd use Faint Attack on me! Or worse…" Latios protested. "So I exposed you… not that I really mind." Pikachu growled as his cheeks sparked.

Meanwhile the human's were finishing their own conversation. "So Gary, I wish you the best of luck on becoming a researcher!" Ash said, grinning broadly.

"And I wish you the same in the Hoenn League!" Gary said. "Try not to mess up or do your usual silly antics."

"I won't…" Ash answered, chuckling. "So, where are you going now?"

"I'm heading to check on something in Viridian, and after that I'll return to Gramps' place to start learning how to be a researcher," Gary explain. "My new goal is to be the greatest Pokémon Professor of all time!"

"Wow, awesome!" Ash commented.

"Of course it's awesome!" Gary agreed proudly.

"Well, good luck. I've got to go now, I have to get to Vermillion City to take the ferry," Ash told the other Pallet Towner.

Gary laughed. "Gonna use Latios again?"

Ash nodded. "Yep!"

"Hehe, how convenient…" Gary commented.

"Yep, Well, take care Gary," Ash said as he held his hand out.

Gary smiled and shook it. "You too," he replied. _'And please don't do anything stupid, like you usually do,'_ Gary thought, sighing worriedly. He knew very well that Ash tended to get into all sorts of trouble on in his travels… like messing with Legendary Pokémon, for example.

"Hey, I don't do stupid things!" Ash snapped "I think…" Gary blinked in confusion, but before he could say anything a loud cry was heard. Both turned to see Latios recovering from a Thunder attack and Pikachu nodding to himself in approval.

"Hey!" Latios yelled. He was beginning to think that Pikachu zapped so hard his Dragon-Typing didn't help much.

"You've had it coming," Pikachu told him. "You know the reason."

"I'll get you back for that…" Latios muttered.

"Doubt it," Pikachu said confidently.

"_You're defending your love aren't you? That's so cute! That means the denial phase is over!" _Latios commented teasingly, using Telepathy so Umbreon didn't hear him. Pikachu shocked him again, adding a lot more voltage this time. "Owww…" Latios moaned. He grinned again, despite the pain. _"Let's hope you don't take after Ash and aren't as dense as he is…" _He commented teasingly again. Pikachu shocked him _again_, adding at least double the power from last time. "Ow…" Latios moaned weakly.

Latias giggled. "Oh, brother…"

"Why is Pikachu shocking Latios over and over again?" Gary asked, looking at them in confusion.

"I don't have a clue," Ash answered.

"You don't?" Gary said. "I thought you could understand them."

"Yeah, but I haven't been paying attention to their conversation…" Ash said Mareepishly. "Well, I better get going to Vermillion City. Goodbye Gary, see you later…good luck with the research and Pokémon Professor stuff!"

"Haha, well, good luck to you too _Ashy-boy_," Gary replied. "Good luck with the Hoenn League."

Ash smiled. "Thanks Gary." He turned and walked back to his Pokémon as Gary resumed his own walk… and Umbreon shot one last glare towards a certain Electric-Type. Pikachu looked away quickly. Ash looked at Latios. "Ready?" he asked.

"I think," Latios answered, recovering a bit from the constant shocks, he prepared to lower himself to the ground to allow Ash to climb aboard. As he did so, one of Ash's Pokéballs shook slightly and released Pidgeot in a bright flash of light, causing Ash to fall back in surprise.

"Hello!" Pidgeot chirped, bending down and nuzzling ash lovingly, this time minding the beak.

"Err, hi," Ash replied, mildly confused, but nonetheless hugging her to return her affections. _'What's up with her?'_ Ash thought, knowing that the eon dragons would pick up the question.

"_She's just riding the high of knowing you'll be taking her to Hoenn,"_ Latias answered. _"She'll be back to her normal calm demeanor in a few days."_

'_Okay,'_ Ash thought. "Er, why did you break out of your Pokéball, Pidgeot?" He asked as he stood up, brushing himself off.

"Well, it's been a long time since I've carried you on my back. Since the next flight is a long one, I was wondering if I could take you there," Pidgeot explained, spreading her wings wide to emphasize her point and eagerness to have her trainer flying on her back again. "Don't worry, I'm very fast, as you'll recall from the last time we flew, so we'll get there in no time."

Ash smiled, nodding to the Flying-Type. "Sure, why not?"

Pidgeot would have smiled happily if she could, so she just nodded back. "Thanks!"

"You know the way to Vermillion City?" Ash asked.

Pidgeot nodded. "Of course I do! I've been around these parts a lot, I know them pretty well."

"Alright," Ash told her, reaching up and petting her gently. She lowered herself, spreading her wings wide and beckoning for Ash to get on her back with a light nod. He slowly climbed aboard, accommodating himself like he did the last time.

Pidgeot frowned. "Ash… haven't you grown at all? You weigh practically the same as the last time, and it was over a year ago! Are you eating well?"

Ash chuckled nervously. "Err… Must be all the walking exercise I do. Besides, remember you've become a stronger flyer since then."

Pidgeot shrugged. "Okay. But try to eat healthy! You really need a growth spurt. At this rate, people will think you're still ten years old for years to come!"

"I do need one…I want to be taller!" Ash agreed.

"You'll grow up sooner or later, don't worry," Latias told him.

"Aww, but I wanna grow now!" Ash complained again.

"Be patient," Latios advised him. "The more anxious you get, the slower it will seem."

"Alright…" Ash muttered, crestfallen.

"Hehe, don't worry Ash, you'll grow up one day," Pikachu assured him, nodding slightly. "Now we better get going." Instead of jumping on Pidgeot, Pikachu hopped on Latios's back, earning a questioning look from him.

"What's up with you?" Latios asked, turning his long and slender neck to look at him.

"In case you make any smart comments and I need to shock you, I'll ride here since Pidgeot wouldn't like a midair shock. You, on the other hand…" Pikachu explained. Latios groaned.

Pidgeot flapped her wings a few times before rising to the air, Latias and Latios following her. She quickly began to rise high to the sky, the eon Dragons right behind her. "It's nice to fly with you without worrying about some bully Fearow," Pidgeot commented.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I'm glad he won't be bothering anyone else ever again."

Latias grinned mischievously. It was going to be a long flight so she decided to do something to pass the time. Without warning she tackled Latios and drew back quickly. "Tag! You're it!" She chorused happily. Leave it to Latias to want to play the entire flight to Vermillion. Latios knew that if he said no to her game he'd make her sad, and he'd never want to do that, so he complied and began to chase after her.

"Waaahhh!" Pikachu screamed as he clung to Latios' neck for dear life.

Latios chuckled._ "You wanted to fly on my back didn't you? Deal with it." _

"If I had known Latias was gonna play tag with you I would have ridden with Ash!" Pikachu choked in between screams.

Latios laughed. He was considerate enough to generate a small psychic shield on his back to make sure Pikachu didn't fall off, but the Electric-Type didn't know that. _'Payback for all those shocks…'_ Latios thought happily as he chased after Latias, Pikachu screaming and clinging to his back all the way. Ash couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as he watched Latios chase Latias around the sky.

After a forty-five minute flight, they arrived at Vermillion City, seeing the city appear over the horizon. "Finally!" Ash said happily. "It's been a long time since I was last here…"

Latias and Latios returned to his side, seeing that they were nearing the city. "Thanks for playing with me, brother," Latias said, smiling at Latios.

"You're welcome sis," Latios replied, smiling back. "You still alive back there Pikachu?" Latios asked, tilting his head to look at his back.

"Y-yeah…" Pikachu muttered, still clinging to Latios' back from a newly gained fear of heights, or probably extremely high speeds, it was hard to tell.

"Should we land in the outskirts?" Latios asked, turning to look at Ash.

"No, we can land at the docks. You two turn invisible, I doubt anyone would be surprised to see a trainer arriving on a Pidgeot's back. You'll have to hand Pikachu over, though," Ash said, Latios nodded in agreement and flew beside Pidgeot until his wing was a foot or so away from Ash.

"There, Pikachu, jump over," Latios told him.

Pikachu shook his head rapidly and clung to his neck harder. "No!" he screamed. "I might fall…"

Latios sweatdropped. "When we played in the garden back when we first met, you didn't have any problem jumping between me and Latias," he pointed out.

Pikachu clenched his teeth. "In the garden, we weren't flying hundreds of feet off the ground!"

"I think you went too rough on him, Latios…" Pidgeot commented. "Forty minutes of extremely high speed flying on a Pokémon that can't fly or levitate can be very traumatizing…or thrilling, if you like that sort of thing…"

"Yeah, the first time I flew on his back I was kinda dazed too, but he went slower after a while," Ash recalled.

Latios laughed. "True…" he admitted. His eyes glowed as he levitated Pikachu off his neck and into Ash's arms quickly. "There."

"Hey buddy," Ash greeted.

"Finally back home…" Pikachu murmured, a dazed tone in his voice. Latios and Latias turned invisible as they neared Vermillion City.

"Head straight to the docks, Pidgeot," Ash ordered. The avian Pokémon nodded.

"I wonder how the crowds would react if you arrived on the docks flying on my brother instead," Latias commented.

"They'd probably freak out," Latios replied, laughing at the prospect.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, laughing as well. "Being able to turn invisible sure is a convenient ability isn't it?"

"Yep," Latias agreed, nodding. "Sometimes it's_ too_ convenient…"

"How so?" Ash asked.

"…Hmm. Good question," Latias said. They sweatdropped.

They were now slowly closing on the docks of the city. Several ships were anchored in the harbor. Hundreds of people were moving around the place, loading and unloading the boats or embarking and disembarking, depending on the function of the vessel.

Pidgeot landed in a relatively clear spot on the dock. A few people turned to look at them, but they quickly dismissed it as nothing out of the ordinary and resumed their business. Ash hopped off Pidgeot's back. "Finally! Solid ground!" Pikachu cried, feeling a wave of relief wash over him as he jumped out of Ash's arms and started kissing the ground, only to gag and start spitting when he got a good taste of it. Latios had to suppress a laugh.

Ash chuckled. He turned and gave Pidgeot a light hug. "Thanks for the flight."

"You're welcome," Pidgeot chirped happily, bowing low.

Ash smiled and held a Pokéball up. "Pidgeot, return." A red beam shot from the Pokéball and returned Pidgeot inside the sphere. Ash replaced it on his belt and turned to look at all the ships. "So… which one's our ferry?" he asked aloud.

"Look on the ticket, it should say so there," Latios suggested.

"Can't you recall? You looked at it in Pallet Town," Ash replied.

Latios laughed Mareepishly. "I was too distracted by the fact that the ticket had me and my sis on it…"

Ash chuckled and reached for his ticket, which was in his backpack. He quickly found it and held it up to read. "Let's see…the ship for Alto Mare leaves at midday, a ferry called the 'S.S. Great Sea.' What time is it?"

Latios looked at the sun. "It's-"

"Eleven forty," Pikachu cut in.

Latios stared at him in astonishment. The Electric-Type wasn't even remotely as good as him in telling the time with a simple gaze at the sun's position. "How did you know?"

"Because there's a big pillar with a huge clock over there…" Pikachu deadpanned, pointing to a massive clock at the center of the docks, probably placed there to make sure everyone kept track of time and met their schedules. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Brilliant brother…" Latias commented teasingly. Latios flushed in embarrassment.

"Well, we should get on board and get ready to set sail," Ash suggested. He felt the eon twins agree with him mentally and turned to look for a ship that had the same name as the one in the ticket. He found it on one of the side docks. It wasn't as colossal as others, but it wasn't small by any means. On the side of the ship was painted the words 'S.S. Great Sea'.

"Yep, that's our ship," Pikachu said, nodding. "Let's go."

Before Ash could walk over there, a familiar voice interrupted him. "Well, well, well, seems we have a baby on the docks," a deep masculine voice boomed.

"Ahhhh!" Ash screamed in fright as he turned and saw a colossal human that was probably bigger and had more muscles than a Machoke. Scratch that, not probably, he _was_ bigger and stronger. Both Latias and Latios turned quickly, and their jaw dropped in astonishment at the sigh of the massive human.

"_The… Hell… he's huge!"_ Latios commented.

"_Understatement of the year!"_ Latias exclaimed in astonishment. _"Are humans supposed to get that big?"_

"Hahaha!" Lt. Surge laughed. He loved scaring younger trainers. Even if Ash had beaten him long ago, physically he was still a child, though almost everyone was like a child when compared physically to the Vermillion Gym leader.

"Oh, it's you…" Ash muttered once his fright had died down. "Don't do that again!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Surge apologized. "Mmhmm, I see your Pikachu hasn't evolved yet, I thought that should have happened already with all the fights he had in the Silver Conference."

Ash blinked. "You watched the Silver Conference?" he asked.

"Of course I did! It's a tradition for Gym Leaders to watch other leagues," Lt. Surge answered. "Just look at the baby I met over two years ago, barely knowing the basics of Pokémon battling…and now you're a kid with a Legendary Pokémon…amazing."

"Thanks," Ash said, happy to be recognized "At least I'm less of a baby than back then… right?"

"Yeah, just don't let that go to your head," Lt. Surge warned him.

Ash laughed. "I won't."

"So, which region are you going to now?" Lt. Surge asked.

"I'm heading for Hoenn, that's where I'll be competing next," Ash answered.

"Hoenn eh, that's an interesting place," the Vermillion Gym Leader agreed. "I wish you the best of luck, kid."

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Surge…and please stop spooking people and beating up helpless beginner trainers."

Lt. Surge laughed. "No way kid. The first two Gyms usually go easy, I like to give trainers a taste of reality and burst their little I-am-unbeatable bubbles that they get when they start out. I like to show them what being a trainer _really_ means. Didn't that help when I did it to you?"

Ash found himself agreeing, especially since the badge he got from Lt. Surge was the first one he won in a real battle. The first two he had won were from helping and proving to be a good trainer to Brock and Misty despite his pathetic performance in his battles against them.

"_No, you won them out of pity and you know it,"_ Latios said flatly in his mind.

'_Hey! You don't know that for sure!'_ Ash argued, thinking his response so the Electric-Type Gym leader didn't hear it.

"_I'm a Psychic, of course I know it for sure,"_ Latios answered.

Thankfully, the voice of the dock's Port Authority over the main speakers saved Ash from further painful truths. "All passengers for the S.S. Great Sea with Alto Mare as their destination please board the ferry, it will be leaving in ten minutes," a female voice boomed.

"That's my ship," Ash said, feeling relieved, though he just_ knew_ Latios was smirking at him. "Well, it was nice talking to you again. Bye, Lt. Surge!" Ash said as he turned towards the ship.

"Alright kid, smash those Hoenn Gyms apart!" Lt. Surge cheered. "Oh, and give my old pal Wattson my best wishes when you get to Mauville Gym, we go way back!"

"Sure, no problem!" Ash said as he neared the ship. He began walking up the boarding ramp along with several other passengers. When he reached the top a guard stopped him.

"Ticket please," the guard said. Ash handed him the ticket. The guard spared it one quick look before he ripped part of it and pocketed it, returning the rest to Ash. "Enjoy the trip."

"Thanks," Ash said as he walked inside the ship. "Neat," he commented, looking around the interior of the very impressive ship. It looked even fancier than the last big ship he was on, the S.S. Anne. He shivered when he recalled that doomed voyage.

"_It's not a good idea to think of a ship that sunk while you are in another one,"_ Latias told him.

"I agree…" Pikachu muttered, getting the same feeling.

"Well, let's go look around" Ash suggested brightly. He paused, an idea occurring to him. "Let's go to the restaurant!" He said as he took off running, his Pokémon following him, not the least bit surprised that the first place he wanted to go to was where he could get something to eat.

Meanwhile…

"There, the twerp boarded the ship already," Jessie announced, holding her binoculars as she looked at the ship. "There's a small cargo door there, we should be able to sneak in easily."

"Hm, we should move quickly, the Gym Leader is in the area," James grumbled, easily spotting the towering figure moving through the crowds.

"We oughta be careful… once we sneak on the ship, we can do something ta get close ta da twerp and steal his Pokémon!" Meowth said, smirking.

They nodded to each other. "When do we go? It'll set sail any minu-" Jessie started.

The ship's horn sounded off as the ship began to move out of the dock, setting out towards the sea. The trio looked at each other dumbly. "After it!" Jessie shouted as the trio ran towards the dock as she ship edged away from it. "Hurry! We have to stow away on that ship!"

"Huh?" Several dock security staff said at the same time as they heard that and turned towards the source of the shout. Several silent seconds passed in which no one moved.

"AFTER THEM!" The security chief roared, and about twenty or so guards began chasing the Team Rocket trio towards the edge of the dock to stop them from getting on the ship, but, with their stupidity and luck on their side, we all know they were going to succeed and elude the guards and stow away on the ship, right? How would they do this? You decide.

Meanwhile…

"Where is the restaurant?" Ash whined in despair as he got hopelessly lost inside the large ferry.

"You could ask one of the staff," Pikachu suggested.

"True…" Ash agreed after a moment's thought.

"Hey…" a voice said. Ash blinked and looked around. "Hey, you," the voice said again. Ash turned and saw a weird guy behind a wooden sales stand nearby.

"Err, what?" Ash asked, clearly confused.

"Check this out, its perfect if you want to be rich!" the man said, Ash walked closer to the stand. He reached from under his wooden counter and pulled out… a golden Pidgey?

"A golden Pidgey?" Ash asked, astonished over the odd coloration.

"Yes… you see, this Pidgey is special, it can lay eggs made of gold! If you sell them every time it lays an egg, you'll be rich! You'll be getting a nice healthy income from Golden Eggs alone!" The Salesman informed him. "It's very expensive for that reason, but for you I'm happy to make a special one-time discount. What do you say?"

Latios snorted. _'No one is stupid enough to fall for that cheap trick,' _he thought to himself.

'_Everyone knows Pidgey can't lay golden eggs,' _Latias thought to herself. _'It's obviously some cheap scam…'_

'_Ha… eggs made of gold? That's biologically impossible, plus the feathers clearly look painted. Whoever painted that Pidgey did an awful job…'_ Pikachu thought, chuckling at the stupidity of the scam. _'No one's falling for that…'_

"AWESOME!" Ash commented in pure amazement, his eyes turning into stars over the Pidgey. "That's so cool, I want one!" he said giddily.

Latias, Latios and Pikachu stared at him incredulously and facefaulted. "I can't believe he fell for it…" Pikachu groaned.

"_Ash!"_ Latias yelled in his mind, causing him to let a startled yelp. _"That Pidgey is just painted up to look golden!"_

"It's biologically impossible to lay eggs made of gold!" Pikachu yelled at him.

"_He's trying to trick you, you idiot!"_ Latios added.

It took Ash a second to process all that. "Hey! You're trying to trick me!" Ash realized.

The salesman paled in utter terror. He quickly packed up his sales stand and Pidgey at a colossal speed, so fast no one could keep track of it. "Gotta go!" The salesman shouted as he ran down the corridor, probably to try to scam someone else.

Ash laughed Mareepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I messed up a bit…"

_You think?_ Latios said deadpan.

"Let's just go to the dining hall…" Pikachu suggested. He couldn't help but chuckle at what Ash had almost fell for.

"Sorry… it just seemed so real…" Ash apologized.

Latios laughed. _"It's okay, we're here to save you from doing anything too stupid. Gary was right to warn you to be careful. It's a good thing we're here to save your from yourself, right?"_

Ash glowered at him. "I suppose…"

Latias nodded. _"Yep, that's why we're here. Come on, we'll lead you to the dining hall."_

Ash blinked. "How do you know where it is?" he asked.

"_We can read the minds of the staff, since you're so dead set on not asking_…" Latias answered.

Ash shrugged. "Lead the way then!" he said cheerfully. With that he followed Latias to the restaurant, his stomach growling in happy anticipation.

...

The travel aboard the ship was relatively nice and uneventful, Ash was delighted with the food and the relaxation, and everything else the ferry had to offer was great.

They were rather surprised to see Team Rocket on board as well, but before they could get in a fight, the trio told them they were too busy to bother them right now, leaving Ash confused… until they heard something about James demanding a refund over a Golden Pidgey he'd bought.

Their three days aboard the ferry may have been pleasant, but as the boat docked at Alto Mare's main port, a certain pair found the travel aboard it to be nothing compared to the happiness of seeing their beloved hometown again.

"It seems exactly the same as we left it…" Latios commented, gazing at the island city.

"Yeah," Latias agreed happily. Both of them were looking over the railing of the Ferry as they waited for the boarding ramp to be extended so passengers could get off the ship. They could simply fly into the city, but they decided to wait for Ash, since he'd probably get lost within the first few streets of the city without them to hold his hand.

"We have arrived at the island city of Alto Mare," the ship's captain informed everyone over the speakers. "All passenger may now take the ramp down to the city."

As the boarding ramp finished being set into the dock, the passengers gradually started to leave the ship and disappear into the city. Ash was among their number. After he was on solid land, Latias and Latios smiled as they flew off the ship, looking at their surroundings. "It's still as pretty as ever," Latios said, looking around.

"I feel so nostalgic…" Latias commented. "But the city does feel…different."

"Sensing more power around us? That's dad's power, flowing through the canals of the city, watching over and protecting the people who live here," Latios told her.

"Yeah, it's really neat," she responded. "So, where should we go to first? Bianca's place or the Secret Garden?"

"Let's go to the garden, I'm eager to check on it," Latios suggested. "After that we can go to Bianca's and see how she's doing."

"Alright," Latias said, nodding. Both dragons began to fly towards the nearest entrance to the Secret Garden. They did so at a relatively moderate pace so Ash could follow them without falling back. Since they were invisible, he retorted to his other senses to follow their movements.

After a few minutes of walking they turned into an alley, and then into another. After a series of turns, they stopped and stared into one of the nondescript walls on the side of the alley. "Here," Latios said. "This is an entrance to the garden." He flew threw it.

Ash walked forward and looked in wonder as his body passed through the wall effortlessly. It had been a while since he saw the illusions. "Neat," Pikachu commented, glancing back as the illusion shimmered back into place.

Latias and Latios dropped their invisibility as they entered the garden, smiling as they took in the unforgettable scents and views of the place they had grown up in, the place they had called home for over a hundred years.

Despite their absence for several months, the garden was still very pretty and well-tended. All the statues had been kept neatly clean and polished, the plants were neatly trimmed and in full bloom, and the water as pure and clear as it had always been. "Bianca's done a good job keeping the garden tidy for us while we were away," Latias commented.

"Yeah," Latios agreed.

They flew to the main pedestal where the Soul Dew was placed, Ash trailing after them. They all peered down at it once they arrived at its resting place. The Soul Dew emitted a small pulse of light, almost like it was delighted to see them again. "Hiya dad!" Latias said cheerfully.

"Wow, it's as bright as ever," Ash commented, seeing it shining brilliantly.

"Yep," Latios agreed, smiling, clearly content with his home's condition.

Ash looked up at the open skies above the garden. "Hey, does this place have a roof…or an illusion of one?" Everyone sweatdropped.

"You remembered that?" Latias asked, surprised.

"I was really curious on the matter," Ash said, glancing at her.

"Now that I think about it, who_ was_ the one that placed the illusions in the Secret Garden in the first place?" Pikachu asked.

"Well, according to what Lorenzo and his father has told us way back when we were young, our dad made them," Latios answered. "Apparently, when my father moved the entire ocean to make Alto Mare an island and save it from that evil trainer way back then, he wanted to make sure we had a save haven within the city when we hatched. Using what last bits of power and life he had left, he created the Secret Garden and placed all the illusions to protect it," Latios told them. The Soul Dew seemed to agree with this and it pulsed lightly, sending small motes of light rippling across the water. Latios chuckled. "Guess that confirms it."

"Interesting," Pikachu muttered. "So Latios, as a species, can make illusions?"

Latios nodded. "Yes, we do have some skill for it. Just look at how much illusions my dad made, and they're so powerful they've lasted for over a hundred years, though I suppose the Soul Dew is what's maintaining them."

"Wow," Ash commented, clearly astounded. "Can you make them too?"

"As I am now? No, it takes a lot of knowledge and training to make illusions as advanced as my dad's. Me and my sis only know some basic stuff, like our human disguises and how to become invisible. We still have a long way to go to become true illusionists," Latios answered.

"I see…" Ash murmured.

"Well, now that we've seen everything's fine here, we should go and see Bianca," Latias suggested. "We'll come back here later, we have two days to hang out, after all."

Ash nodded. "Sure, lead the way!"

Latias bent down and gave a small kiss to the Soul Dew, silently thanking the soul that resided within for everything. It resonated with the feeling and pulsed slightly, like it wanted to return the affection. She pulled back and dried her face feathers with a quick psychic pulse before floating to one of the exits, the others following her. She grinned, and in a bright shower of blue sparkles assumed Bianca's form. "It's been a while since I disguised myself," she commented.

"Yeah, wanna surprise Bianca?" Pikachu asked, Latias nodded.

"Just don't go off running," Ash told her.

Latias smiled. _"I won't," _she said telepathically. Unsurprisingly, she took off running.

"Wait up!" Ash called to her as he chased after her, trying to keep up. Latios chuckled to himself and followed them quietly.

After lots of running, they arrived at Bianca and Lorenzo's house. Latias turned to look at the panting Ash as he struggled to keep up. "You're… as fast… as ever…" he panted.

Latias mentally giggled_. "I love doing that,"_ she told him.

"I don't…" Ash muttered tiredly. Latias knocked on the door.

"Who is it!" a voice asked from inside, followed by the sound of someone approaching the door.

"_Guess who!"_ Latias called telepathically.

Bianca eagerly opened the door, a look of pure elation lighting up her face, but before she could voice her greeting, Latias tackle-hugged her playfully, causing both of them to fall to the floor. _"Hi Bianca!"_ Latias greeted happily.

"Hi Latias," Bianca greeted once she got her breath back. Latias smiled and got up, allowing Bianca to stand up. "I was wondering when you'd come and visit," she commented. "I wasn't that worried though, I knew you'd come."

"Of course we'd come," Ash said, smiling at her. Once they closed the door, Latias resumed her Pokémon self and Latios dropped his invisibility.

"_Hello Bianca,"_ Latios greeted, smiling.

Bianca walked up to him and hugged him. "Hi Latios, how are you? Feeling better after that Semi-final fight?" Bianca asked, looking at him in concern.

"_Yeah, I'm all healed and better now,"_ he answered, smiling down at her.

"That's good to hear," she answered. Bianca then glared at Ash, causing him to stiffen in fright. "You better make sure he's not beaten up like that again, you hear me?"

"I will!" Ash said quickly, holding his arms up defensively.

She paused. "Nice new clothes, they look good on you. And hey, they bring out your eyes better," she complimented.

Ash blushed slightly. "Thanks… I've been told that before…"

"Hello everyone," Lorenzo said as he walked down from upstairs, everyone turning to him. "It's good to see you all again."

"_Hi Lorenzo!"_ Latias greeted.

"_Hello,"_ Latios said. Ash and Pikachu greeted him as well.

"Long time no see," Lorenzo commented. "Congratulations to all of you for your splendid performance in the tournament!"

"Thanks," Ash said gratefully.

"_Yeah, thanks,"_ Latios agreed.

"Oh, I just recalled, guess what?" Bianca said excitedly. Both Latias and Latios looked at her. "No mind reading!" she said quickly, causing both dragons to laugh.

"_Well, without looking into your mind to figure out, we can't really guess,"_ Latias said.

"Well, I talked it out with my grandpa, and I've decided that I'm going with you to Hoenn!" She said excitedly. "I want to start painting new Pokémon, and what better way to do that than to travel around in a new region, and I could go with Ash so I can stay safe and hang out with you guys," she said.

Latias grinned happily. _"Awesome!"_

Latios smiled too. _"That's great, Bianca."_

"Yeah, it'd be great to have you!" Ash agreed, relieved he wouldn't be the only human of the group after all.

"Wow, and you didn't even have to destroy her bike to get her to join you, too," Pikachu commented, causing Ash to sweatdrop

"I know," Bianca replied with a smile. "The only thing I'm uncertain of is if the garden will be okay with just Grandpa to take care of it."

"_The garden will be fine,"_ Latios assured her. _"The Soul Dew's power helps it brim with life. Besides, me and Latias can ask the local Pokémon that spend their time in the garden to help care for it. With us being Legendaries, I'm sure they'll agree.. But what about you, Lorenzo? Will you be fine all alone?"_

"Don't worry Latios, I'll be fine. My job at the museum and the gondola workshop will keep me busy. Besides, seeing how happy Bianca is over the prospect of traveling is all that I need to keep me motivated," Lorenzo answered.

"Thanks grandpa," Bianca said gratefully, glad to be given the chance to travel.

Latias hovered over to Bianca and hugged her. "Yay! No sad good-byes!"

Bianca laughed. "Yep, no good-byes."

"So, do you already have your ticket for Hoenn?" Ash asked.

"No, I wanted to wait to know which ship you were going to board," Bianca answered.

"Alright then, let's go and get one for you," Ash suggested. "After that we can hang around the city, I'm sure that'll delight Latias and Latios."

"_Yes, it will,"_ Latios agreed, nodding happily at the idea.

"Then let's go!" Ash said cheerfully, glad that it seemed he'd have a new traveling companion. With that the group set out yet again, all of Alto Mare open to them.

Two days later…

After two days of nonstop fun around the scenic city of Alto Mare, the big day for Ash had finally come. The day he was boarding the ferry that would take him and his friends to Hoenn. It had been a nice stay and a good break before he returned to the hard and arduous work of being a Pokémon trainer, and a part of Ash was actually sad to leave, but he knew it was time to continue his journey. They were waiting in the Alto Mare harbor for the ship they were taking, a massive cruise ship called the 'S.S. Blue Star,' to lower the boarding ramp to allow all passengers to embark on the ship.

Ash was acting like he was on a sugar high, barely able to contain the excitement of going to a new region. Bianca was also excited that she would be getting the chance to see a brand-new region. "Finally! It's almost time to go to Hoenn! Just a few minutes!" Ash commented eagerly. Pikachu, Latias and Latios smiled, none of them wanting to point out that it would take almost four to five days for the ship to reach Hoenn. Well, Latios wanted to, but Latias wouldn't let him.

In the meantime, hidden behind some cargo crates... "There's the twerps!" Jessie hissed. "This time, no Salesman is going to stop us from attacking him and getting his Pokémon!"

"Which reminds me, I have to get back at that guy! What am I supposed to do with a Pidgey!" James said angrily, holding a Pokéball containing a common Pidgey that a few days ago had gold paint on its feathers. "First he tricks me with a Magikarp, and now a Pïdgey!"

"Well, it's one Pokémon more to fight the twerps," Jessie commented.

"Jessie, dat Pidgey is still a kiddie, you can't pit him against Latios!" Meowth told her worriedly.

Jessie glared at him. "How about you fight Latios, then" she suggested.

Meowth paled in terror. "N-no thanks! I'd rather fight Pikachu!" he said quickly, terrified at the prospect of fighting a Legendary Pokémon, who knew what Latios would do to him in a real battle.

"Let's stow inside the ship. This time we must make sure we aren't stopped, eluding the guards might be more difficult here…" James grumbled. They nodded to each other and started planning how to infiltrate the S.S. Blue Star.

They were unaware that just as they were watching Ash, someone else was watching _them_ through a pair of binoculars…

"Yes!" the Magikarp Salesman said happily. "It's those idiots again! Time to prepare a new scam! Oh, I'm going to make so much money off those knuckleheads!" With that, he followed the Rocket trio to stow away on the ship as well.

"All passengers traveling in the S.S. Blue Star to Littleroot Town, please board the ship," the dock speakers said as the ship lowered its ramp to start allowing people in.

Ash and Bianca walked to it, followed by the invisible eon dragons. "Tickets please," the ramp guard said. Ash and Bianca handed him their tickets. He ripped part of them off and pocked it, and returned the stubs to Bianca and Ash. "Have a nice trip," he said. They nodded and walked up the ramp into the ship.

"Finally!" Ash shouted enthusiastically. "Prepare yourself Hoenn Gym Leaders and League, because trainer Ash Ketchum's coming for you! The Hoenn League…will be mine!"

* * *

And finally done! I have finished A New Chance At Life! =D Amazing isn't it?

Well, writing this Fanfic for all of you my dear readers was certainly a delight to me. Now comes the sequel. I'm sorry to tell you all that it'll take me a while to post it since I have to plan it and all that. I don't know when exactly I'll be posting it, probably in two or three months, I'm not really sure, it depends on how long it takes for me to get a rough draft of what I want for it, sorry It'll take a bit… but remember I'll be rewriting an _entire freaking region_, not easy, and I want it to become an splendid Fanfic so taking my time will be good to make sure it turns out cool.

Don't worry; I won't leave you all story-less until then. While I plan it, I'll be working on my other Fanfic Gods and Mortals. If you ever want to know what the progress is on the planning for "A New Chance For Adventure," fell free to PM me, I'll gladly respond.

Also, I promised I'd say a bit on what you should all expect from the sequel. Well, I thought of something way better. I'll write a teaser chapter of it! I'll post it here at the end of A New Chance At Life. Note that it's not a part of A New Chance At Life itself, you can all consider it a prelude for what's coming in the next Fanfic. I'll post it when I'm a bit more advanced into my planning of the sequel. I'll update Gods and Mortals before that, probably.

Finally, I'd like to mention the credits for A New Chance At Life. Here's the people I want to thank for their assistance in helping me shape up and write this Fanfic.

**Credits:**

Writer: **ARCEUS-master.** (Of course XD)

Beta Reader: **Ri2.** I want to sincerely thank Ri2 for all the help he gave me on this fanfic, especially at the beginning. He gave me lots of advise on how to improve my writing and many suggestions to shape up this story when I needed them the most. He's been there for me ever since I started writing, and I'm sure he'll be helping with the sequel too. Thank you, my friend.

Additional people who have helped me:

**ForLatios / ForPain** (He's always been known as "ForLatios" but he changed his penname a few weeks ago to "ForPain"). He's been a great help in planning my fanfic from very early on, plus he always makes comments on my writing and gives useful suggestions. Thanks.

**Shakari. **She's an awesome friend of mine who helps me out a lot, especially with constructive insight and critique into my writing, helping me see things I could have done better and suggestions on what I can do to improve the quality of my work. She's also very good with giving plot ideas and scenes, really, really good. Ever since I met her she's become a great helper in my Fanfic. Thanks a lot for all your help Shakari!

**Lady Venamisa. **She's also a good person who always offers help and insights on my writing. I've known her since before I started writing, though I openly started to talking to her after I became an author. She's helped me a lot on planning what I can do for my fanfic. Thanks.

Just like they've helped me in shaping up A New Chance At Life, I offer thanks in advance for all the help I'm sure I'll get for the sequel, A New Chance For Adventure.

That's all for now, until I write that teaser chapter. Also, please be kind and leave a review! It'd be awesome to hear the opinions of my readers on how my fanfic has been as a whole, from start to finish. **REVIEW**! Yay!


	28. Sequel Teaser Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_"Telepathy" _

Important A/Ns.

It's finally here! The Teaser chapter for "A New Chance for Adventure."

Before I start, I would like to give a really big and wholehearted _**THANK YOU **_to the two friends that have been helping me the most with the extensive planning of the sequel of A New Chance At Life, my dear friend **Shakari** and my beta reader **Ri2**. Thanks a lot! =)

Note that this chapter contains spoilers, lots and _lots_ of them, that will give you small (or big?) insights as to what you can expect, some vague ideas of what's swirling in my mind for the sequel to "A New Chance At Life" Read at your own caution.

Note that there are tons of other moments outside of the few that are written here, so even with these parts given out, there is still _A LOT_ more that's unrevealed, so you'll all have lots of things to wonder about what I'll do even with the small prior knowledge this teaser gives. I promise it'll be awesome!

Sadly, I really regret to inform you that you'll all have to wait just a bit more until I post the sequel. I'm working through a time where I'll be very busy. I have to finish applying to a university (that's a lot of paperwork, and the admissions exams are very hard), finish my final grade and get the graduation stuff ready, and I'm going to have several problems with all of that, and a number of other things. That's why I took so long to get this chapter out, so sorry for all the delays. I hope you all understand.

I please ask for just a bit of patience from all of my dear readers out there. Remember I am re-writing _an entire Pokémon region_ (namely, _ALL_ of Pokémon Advanced Saga), **not an easy task.** I've always said, "I prefer to take a month to write just 1 awesome chapter than a month to write 5 crappy ones." That applies to this fic as well. I prefer to take my time and post it when I'm ready and it has a good base planned, than to start it right away and make lots of stupid and avoidable mistakes, that and I really want to start when I've gotten the pressure off me.

But when I eventually post it, you'll all like it, so don't worry, it WILL be posted. I _love_ my writing, I really do and it's just about the only thing I do with my free time, so you can safely assume I _will _do the sequel eventually and I'll try to get it up as quick as I can.

Sincerely, **ARCEUS-master**

Now that that's clear, time to go to the teaser! Each break line indicates a complete scene change, the moments are in no particular order, enjoy and try not to get too spoiled! :P

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Ash asked in a very tired and weak voice, his shoulders slumped as he walked at a very slow and unenthusiastic pace. "We've been walking for a _really _long time now!" he whined, a little louder this time.

"We walk for really long distances pretty much all the time, Ash," Pikachu commented dryly. "So stop complaining!"

Ash glared at him, though he had to admit the Electric-Type had a point. "You don't complain because you spend all the time riding on _my_ shoulders!"

"Yep, and they're quite comfy," Pikachu replied off-handedly, causing Ash to scowl at him in annoyance. "Though we've rarely walked this late at night," Pikachu continued, seeing Ash's annoyed look. He really didn't want to get banned from those comfy shoulders any time soon.

Brock peered into his Guidebook. "According to this, we should be almost there," he announced, lightening up everyone's mood.

"I really hope we _are_ close, it must be midnight by now," Bianca said, looking up and seeing the beautiful night sky, glistening with lots and lots of bright stars and not a single cloud. She frowned. "Shouldn't we have seen the Millennium Comet by now?"

"_Perhaps we got __the wrong day?"_ Latias suggested. She was glad her levitation didn't use up much energy, and so she wasn't as tired as humans were.

"But I thought the festival started tomorrow," Ash said, turning to look at Brock. "Right?"

Brock kept his eyes fixed on the guidebook. "Yeah, the festival is tomorrow, but by now they should have most of the festivities set up and be ready for it. We should be able to see them easily…" he trailed off. "As for the comet, it will be visible tomorrow night."

"We should have just taken the public transports that offered a trip to the 'Millennium Festival' and saved all this trouble," Bianca said, irritated as she sent a death glare in Ash's direction.

Ash laughed Mareepishly, as he had been the one that had been encouraging them to walk instead of waiting for the transports. "Sorry…"

Everyone sighed. Brock kept looking at his guidebook. "I don't get it, according to this, we should be pretty close, but there's no festival!"

"_Maybe we're on the wrong deserted plain?"_ Latias suggested.

"I really hope we aren't," Bianca said, clearly annoyed. Ash cringed.

"Latios, think you can sense anything?" Ash asked, looking up to the blue eon dragon as he calmly flew above the group. Since they were pretty much alone at midnight on some desert plain, there was no reason to be invisible.

Latios' eyes glowed as he scanned the region as far as his powers would allow. _"Nope, nothing worth noting."_

"Aww, and I'm starving!" Ash whined. Everyone turned to look at him. Ash got the strangest idea that they thought this mess was his fault.

"No, really?" Pikachu said sarcastically. To his dismay, his stomach growled, soon followed by a few others, clearly telling everyone that Ash wasn't the only one that was really hungry.

"Now would be a really good time to find that festival…" Brock muttered, his gaze still on the guidebook.

"_It's official, we're lost,"_ Latios stated matter-of-factly.

"No!" Brock cried, horrified. "My navigation skills couldn't have gotten us lost!"

"_Weird, getting lost is something Ash__ usually does, not you,"_ Latios said, looking down at the Pokémon breeder.

"Hey!" Ash said indignantly, but he frowned when he remembered this was one of the topics he was constantly teased about and one of the few he was never going to win an argument about, so he decided to shut up and avoid another unnecessary verbal beat down.

"_A __very wise choice,"_ Latias said in his mind, giggling softly.

"So, anyway, any clues on how we can find the festival we've apparently lost?" Bianca asked, exchanging glances with the group.

"_Me and Latias could fly around the place and see if we find it, but I don't know, I don't see anything for miles…"_ Latios said. He flew slightly higher and took a good look around, seeing nothing but open plains and slopes and hills, all covered in the darkness of the night.

"I don't think that's really going to matter much…" Pikachu muttered sadly.

"I don't think that's really going to matter much…" Brock muttered to himself, still looking into his guidebook. Pikachu glared at him, and Ash chuckled him.

Brock looked around briefly, taking the surroundings into account before taking another glimpse at his guidebook. He frowned. "This should be the exact spot the festival should be…"

"_Nice festival,"_ Latios commented sarcastically.

"So, what now?" Ash asked, looking around in hope of finding anything.

"Well, seeing as everyone's hungry and it's already really late, I say we set up camp, have dinner, and look for it tomorrow morning," Brock suggested, suppressing a yawn.

"_It's past midnight, s__o, technically it's more like 'look for it later today,'"_ Latias corrected. _"We really stayed up late this time."_

"I don't think that's something we should really be proud of…" Bianca grumbled.

"Let's look for a nice place to set up camp," Brock said, looking around and spotting a small hill that seemed like it would be fine. They walked to the hill and proceeded to set up camp. As usual, Brock did the cooking while everyone else helped where they could.

Well, almost everyone, Ash was too busy drooling at the sight of the food to help. "Looks delicious…" he said as he watched Brock slowly stir the stew he was making.

The older trainer chuckled slightly. Same old Ash. A few minutes later the stew was done and the group could finally have a well deserved dinner, and soon enough, they went to sleep for the remainder of the night.

…

Unbeknownst to the group, the reason they couldn't find the Millennium Festival was because they were a little…early.

Hours later while the night was still present, barely an hour or so before the sun started to poke over the horizon and bring morning with it, everything was calm and quiet in the open plains, save for a small rumbling that rattled throughout the ground. Ash and his friends were sound asleep, all of them in their sleeping bags a few feet away from the campfire they had made earlier. Beside Ash's sleeping bag a blanket was laid out for Latios and Latias to sleep on.

Pikachu's ear twitched slightly as a very light noise reached his very sensitive ears. He tried to ignore it and cuddled closer to Ash, but as the noise became stronger and closer, as well as more annoying, he was forced to wake up. He crawled as silently as possible from Ash's sleeping bag and walked to the edge of the hill. In the distance, he spotted the source of the noise, a very large group of trucks that was moving through the plains in the distance.

Pikachu turned and walked back to the group. He lightly shook Ash. "Hey, wake up!"

"Ten more minutes mom…" Ash muttered, turning away from the Electric-Type.

Pikachu frowned in annoyance and shocked Ash with a powerful Thunderbolt. "Ahhhh! I'm awake!" Ash said quickly, jolting up into a sitting position, though he immediately fell back onto the sleeping bag. "Oww… what was that for Pikachu, it's not even morning…" Ash complained, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

The sound of the ruckus in the distance began to slowly wake up the rest of the party. "Would you two keep it down?" Bianca grumbled in annoyance.

"Yeah, it's still dark…" Brock echoed, equally annoyed.

"There's something you need to see Ash! Really!" Pikachu said, turning and walking to the border of their camp and pointing at a faraway group of vehicles approaching at high speeds carrying an astonishing array of equipment and contraptions.

Ash yawned and stepped out of his sleeping bag, walking until he was at Pikachu's side. "Wow, what are those doing here?" he wondered out loud.

Bianca and Brock walked to his side, soon followed by a levitating Latias and Latios. "Interesting," Brock noted.

"And unexpected," Bianca added. "What are those doing here?"

"Hey! I just asked that," Ash told her. She laughed lightly.

Brock noticed some of the larger heavy-duty carrying trucks were transporting large parts of what seem to be a Ferris wheel and other large carnival rides. "I think I know why we didn't find the festival earlier…" he commented tiredly, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"_I think we all do,"_ Latios said, frowning. Latias, Pikachu and Bianca nodded in agreement.

"Err, why exactly?" Ash asked, looking confused. Everyone sighed.

"Because _that's_ the festival," Brock answered. "They are going to set it up." They watched as the contingent of trucks stopped in the middle of the plain.

"Well, I say we go and take a look!" Ash suggested.

"Yeah, I doubt we can get much sleep as the sun should come out soon, and in these parts it can get really hot," Brock agreed, nodding slightly.

"I'm still pretty tired though, we didn't get much sleep," Bianca complained, glaring at Ash. "After all, it was someone's bright idea to search for a festival and keep going up until past midnight instead of simply waiting two days to take the public transport here!"

Ash chuckled Mareepishly, again. "Sorry, my mistake."

"Anyway," Brock interrupted them. "Let's go and pack everything up."

Bianca and Ash nodded and returned to the campsite. Pikachu, Latias and Latios followed them to help out in whatever way they could.

After packing everything, they began to walk towards the assembly of trucks, which by now had been neatly distributed in the plain. Dozens upon dozens of workers dressed in blue uniforms with yellow helmets were slowly putting together the different attractions of the festival. Ash and his friends didn't take very long to walk to the festival site, being early morning, the sun started to appear in the distant horizon.

"Wow, look at all this," Ash commented, looking around as the festival site slowly took shape.

"At least there's no missing the festival this time," Pikachu said, also looking around in amazement at the different attractions, secretly a little eager to try some of them.

"_All this looks so fun!"_ Latias said gleefully. Due to the presence of other humans, she was invisible along with Latios. _"I can't wait for it to be ready!"_

"Me neither," Ash agreed. A single yellow pickup truck got his attention as he turned to look at it. The door opened and from it, a tall man with purple hair wearing a white elegant suit stepped down with a blonde woman wearing a tight black blouse and small purple shorts, high boots, and a red coat.

"Who are they?" Ash asked curiously since they seemed important.

"According to the festival guidebook, they are Butler and Diane, the chosen hosts of this Festival. Butler's a magician and Diane's his assistant," Brock answered, though after reading that his eyes were focused on Diane.

"Wow, a magician? That's awesome!" Ash commented excitedly.

"That's interesting," Bianca agreed. They watched as both Butler and Diane carried a neatly decorated large gold and red box from the truck. Ash and his traveling companions stared at them expectantly.

"_Oh, they're gonna do something!"_ Latias said telepathically, a clearly excited tone in her voice.

Butler opened the box slowly and moved his hands in a weird fashion as a magician's staff seemed to come out of nowhere between them. He gestured at the box and then outwards. To the group's astonishment, it opened and what seemed to be a pink balloon emerged from it, and another, and another, and so on until a dozen or so balloons had came out. Diane took out two fans and proceeded to hit two of the balloons near her, causing them to crash into each other and, after a few crashes, all the balloons were surprisingly in a perfect circle around the magician.

He swung his magical staff and all the balloons popped, revealing what seemed to be wooden pillars with several steel bars running through them. The lower ones quickly moved to the sides, connecting all the wood pillars, and then the pillars segmented and began to slide in neat blocks towards the right, reducing it all to a wooden ring on the floor. Butler made another gesture with his staff, and all the remaining steel bars began to intertwine upwards, forming a neat dome of steel bars. With a final gesture, several hidden folds of different colored sheets began to slowly cover the dome until a very colorful, impressive, and bright circus tent was formed.

Pikachu, Latias, Latios, Bianca, Brock and Ash's jaws dropped in astonishment. "Wow… seriously… wow!" Ash said slowly, gazing the large tent. "Now that's a cool magician!"

"How did that tent fit inside the red box?" Bianca asked in confusion.

"_Magic,"_ Latios answered simply.

Bianca sweatdropped. "I expected a more detailed answer…"

"_What do you want me to say then?"_ Latios asked.

"I don't know, like actually saying how that huge tent fit in a box, and how did all the things simply set themselves in the first place with the guy just waving a staff, how did all that happen?" Bianca said as she turned to look at the tent again.

"_Magic,"_ Latios answered again.

Bianca frowned. "I'll just ask the guy then…" she mumbled.

"_A magician never reveals his tricks,"_ Latios told her. _"So, I doubt he'll tell you a thing."_

"You could read his mind to figure out his tricks," Bianca suggested.

"_No, that would make all the acts boring__, since it would take all their amazement away…" _Latios answered. Bianca nodded, admitting he had a valid point.

Meanwhile, Butler made another gesture as several workers walked up to him. "I want everything inside the tent set up quickly, the festival will start soon and the first few buses with the guests will be arriving in a few hours," he said.

The workers nodded. "Yes sir!" they said in unison. Some of them entered the tent to finish preparing everything inside while others went to different parts of the still-in-construction carnival to finish it up.

"Think we should go and talk to him?" Ash wondered. "I really want to."

"No, he's probably busy setting up the festival. Let's wait until later," Brock said, not wanting to distract the host, although he wouldn't mind talking to Diane for a while…

"_I hea__rd that,"_ Latias said in his mind. Brock sulked.

"Well, let's hang around until the festival is all set up," Brock suggested quickly. The group nodded and continued to watch as the festival arose all around them.

…

After a few hours, the Festival was completely set up. Numerous mechanical rides sat everywhere with lots of circus tents and other attractions littering the place. Lots of colorful food stands and other games were also present. Lots of banners and flags with the image of the Millennium comet and the words "Millennium Festival" could be seen everywhere. Several dozen people were already enjoying the festivities as a few buses had arrived.

"Nice!" Ash said as he munched down on some cotton candy he'd gotten earlier.

"It's been very good so far," Brock agreed, looking around at all the pretty girls.

"Yep," Bianca said, a small sketchbook in her hands as she doodled anything interesting that caught her eye.

"So Brock, when does the Festival end?" Ash asked curiously.

Brock was forced to tear his eyes away from the pretty girls to answer Ash's question. "Well, the Millennium Festival was made to honor the Millennium Comet, a mysterious celestial body that will be passing near Earth for the next week. According to this, it only comes by once every thousand years, so this will be a once in a lifetime experience," he answered, looking into his guidebook. "The festival will end when the Comet makes its seven-day pass and disappears. It's an open celebration where people from all over Hoenn can attend."

"That would make a really nice painting," Bianca commented, imagining a painting of a comet soaring across a perfect, cloudless starry sky.

"_Yeah,"_ Latias agreed. _"I can't wait to see you painting it."_

"Hey, isn't that May and Max?" Ash asked, glancing at a pair of kids in the distance leaving a bus along with a couple dozen others.

Bianca squinted her eyes. "I think so," she said. She paused and glared at Ash, causing the trainer to yelp and take a step away. "And apparently they were smart enough to _take_ the transport services to the Festival, not walk."

"I said I was sorry!" Ash reminded her for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Well, I didn't really mind," Pikachu commented offhandedly.

"Because you rode on my shoulders the whole time," Ash grumbled in annoyance.

"_Me neither,"_ Latios followed.

"Well, let's forget about it and get going," Ash said a little too quickly, starting to walk ahead of the group towards May and Max. Everyone chuckled and followed him.

"Isn't it lovely Max?" May asked softly as she gazed at the festival.

"Yeah," Max agreed. "Interesting festival, I can't wait to see the comet!"

"Me too!" May agreed. "They say this is a one of a kind festival!"

"Yep," Max confirmed. "The Millennium Comet only passes near Earth once every thousand years, so this is a really unique occasion...for people like us, anyway."

"Hey, May!" Ash called out.

May turned towards the voice, and smiled to see it was Ash and his friends. "Oh, hi Ash, Bianca, Brock! You're here for the Millennium Festival too?"

"Yep," Ash said, nodding.

"Hi everyone," Max greeted. "Hi Latias, Latios," he added, especially eager over them.

"_We're invisible, how did you know we're here?"_ Latias asked curiously.

"You two are_ always_ out of your Pokéballs," Max pointed out. "And also invisible when it's crowded, so it was logical to assume this wasn't an exception."

"_You're right there,"_ Latios admitted. Latias giggled, thinking along the same lines as her brother. The kid was smart.

"So, how has your journey been going, May?" Ash asked curiously.

"It's been fine," May answered. "So far I-" May didn't get to finish as a pair of rather ridiculously dressed up clowns dancing a very weird way-though they seemed oddly familiar-appeared between them, tossing out flyers. One of the clowns stopped and handed Ash one. He took it, clearly confused, before he could ask anything the clown started dancing again and tossing out more of the promotional material.

"What's this?" Ash wondered as he looked at the flyer. "Wow, The Great Butler's magic show?"

"So, the magician is going to be putting on a performance soon? That's going to be really cool!" Bianca commented.

"If he set up his tent like that, I wonder how his show is going to be," Brock agreed.

"How did he set up his tent?" May asked curiously.

"He built it from nothing but a red box," Ash answered.

"Which tent is his?" Max asked.

"That colorful one over there," Bianca answered, pointing at the tent in question.

"Wow, making that from a small box? I don't believe it, it's physically impossible," Max said firmly. Latios telepathically projected the memory of how Butler made his tent into Max's head. Max's jaw dropped.

"Well, we should go in," Ash said eagerly.

"Er, Ash, the show's not for a few hours," Brock informed him.

"Aww, I really wanted to see the show! Well, we could just hang out I guess, there's still plenty of stuff to do and attractions to try out," Ash told the group.

"Yeah," Bianca agreed.

"_Yay!"_ Latias cheered happily. _"Lots of fun!"_

"Let's go then!" Ash said, beginning to look for a nice attraction. The group followed him, except for Max.

Max stared at the tent, questioning all the illogical things and laws of physics that the construction of the tent had apparently broken in the memory Latios had shown him. _"Friend."_ Max heard a voice in his mind, startling him greatly. The only mental voices he knew were Latias and Latios', but this one sounded different from either dragon.

Max stared at the magician's tent, feeling as if something within it was… calling to him, like something needed him. He wondered why he felt like that. _"My Friend!" _Okay, this was getting weird. It had been the very same voice. Confused, Max took a step towards the tent.

"Hey, Max! You coming?" May called from the distance, startling him again.

"Sorry!" Max shouted as he turned and ran towards the group. He paused slightly and spared the tent one last look before resuming the run towards his friends. _'Something's in there, I just know it!'_ he thought as he caught up with the group.

* * *

In a huge mountain range north of the Johto Region…

A large group of helicopters and airships flew in a concentrated formation towards the mountains. The entire area was deafened by the tremendous roar of all the engines of the flying machines. All of them were colored either dark gray or a solid black, and all of them had a huge red 'R' painted on their sides.

There were three noticeable types of aircraft. Most of them were several dozen double-rotor Team Rocket helicopters. Each was long and had a spherical windshield with two rectangular rocket and missile launchers on each side of the fuselage.

Then there were two slightly larger aircraft, having six rotors to sustain flight with two turbines at the front for extra propulsion, and numerous weapon systems. Finally, in the center of the formation was a massive airship. On the side of the huge machine the words "Team Rocket Flying Fortress" were painted in red letters, below the unmistakable and even larger red 'R'.

Inside the control center of the Flying Fortress… "Almost there…" a feminine voice muttered.

Another laughed. "Eager, are we?"

"Commander Annie, Commander Oakley, we should enter the mountains in a few minutes," a Rocket grunt informed his superiors.

They nodded, looking out at the landscape through the windshield of the control center of the airship they were currently in. "Mmm…" Oakley muttered, a thoughtful look on her face as she stared at the mountains that were slowly becoming bigger and bigger as they approached them, lightly grasping the small deactivated Pokéball in her palm. It was no ordinary Pokéball, but Team Rocket's most terrifying invention yet, the dreaded Prison Ball. "Within those mountains is our target…" she muttered, trying to hide the growing anxiety in her voice, and obviously failing.

"I hope it's still there…" Annie commented. "It's quick in changing flight patterns according to our information. Keeping track of it has been extremely difficult."

Oakley turned abruptly, facing the rest of the Team Rocket personnel on the command dock. "Connect me with Professor Sebastian!" she ordered.

"Yes commander!" a Grunt said, looking at his control panel and pressing several buttons. A large screen lowered from the ceiling and lit up as an image of Prof. Sebastian appeared on it.

"Have you made contact with the target?" he inquired impatiently, an urgent look on his face. "Master Giovanni is getting intolerant, and he is demanding me results!"

"No, we are nearing the last reported location. Is the satellite still in position?" Oakley asked.

Professor Sebastian nodded. "Yes, sadly, the satellite's orbit will soon take it out of range, so this is your last update. You'll get it shortly." With that, the call ended.

"Good…" Oakley muttered.

"Using a thermal imaging satellite to track down Ho-Oh was brilliant!" Annie commented.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Most Pokémon have a body temperature that's lower than humans, but there are some exceptions, such as most Fire-Types, and a Legendary Fire-Type Pokémon is a massive source of heat. That and all the other information we've gathered on Ho-Oh should be enough to capture it…" she said, holding the Prison Ball tighter in pure anxiety.

The screen flashed briefly as new information arrived. An image was uploaded instantly. It looked like a map, a picture of the northern parts of Johto with some distinguishing marks such as a few valleys, rivers and a massive group of imposing mountains all seen from above, along with the outline of several clouds. It was all colored a dark blue and black with many small red and yellow dots in it of different vague shapes, all of them Pokémon that were big enough to trigger the heat-sensitive imaging. However, on the upper corner was one that outshone out all others, a big sphere of white with outer yellow and red coloration that signified an intense form of heat at least a few dozen times larger than the other heat sources. Without a doubt, it was their target, Ho-Oh.

"Sadly, Ho-Oh gives off so much heat that it's impossible to get an accurate fix on it… it messes up the satellite's sensors too much!" Annie commented sadly. "That and it also moves quite fast, in the time between that photo was taken and the time the info arrived plus the time we'll take to get there it's bound to have moved a few miles."

"Yes, but that image told us what we wanted to know in the first place. It confirmed that Ho-Oh is in the area…that's all that we need," Oakley replied.

"Can we confirm its altitude?" Annie asked, looking at the image sent to them by the satellite.

"No… Ho-Oh could be perched on one of the mountains hidden under the white heat stain, or it could be flying way up close to the atmosphere, who knows…" Oakley answered. She motioned to some grunts. "Get me the intercom, I'll give the final instructions."

"Here," a Grunt said as he held out a microphone quickly, not wanting to annoy their commander. They knew she had quite the temper...

She took it and switched it on, broadcasting to all the airships in her attack force. "Attention everyone, we have reached the mountains. We have last-minute information that confirms Ho-Oh's presence within the area! I'll go over the plan to make sure you've all gotten it: all helicopters are to move into the mountains and scout the region for Ho-Oh. Once you find it, proceed to attack. Try to overwhelm it with as many attacks as possible, so that between Ho-Oh's frantic dodging and the natural movements of the battle, it'll move towards the Flying Fortress. Once there the main weapons of the Flying Fortress will take it out. Once Ho-Oh is secured within the main holding bay of my ship, I will proceed to incarcerate it!" Oakley announced. Many answering calls of acknowledgement were heard. "Move out! Half of you search as high as the helicopters can go, the others search near the mountains!" she ordered.

The formation of aircrafts broke apart. The several dozen helicopters dispersed and began to fly in different directions in the mountains. Some flew high and disappeared within the clouds. The others lowered their altitude and began to fly between the mountains. The two larger six-rotor aircraft also moved out, leaving the 'Flying Fortress' alone for the time being. They would only move out once Ho-Oh was sighted.

...

Meanwhile, a certain Legendary Pokémon was calmly soaring through the sea of clouds, her elegant and majestic body leaving a rainbow in her wake. It had so far been a relatively calm day, like any other, but somehow, Ho-Oh could swear that something was…off. She had been feeling a sense of danger and anxiety all day, like something big was about to happen, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. She'd been flying for a while now but nothing seemed wrong.

Out of nowhere, Ho-Oh began to hear a very odd and unnatural sound. She closed her eyes and concentrated on it. _'Hmm, sounds like one of those weird human flying machines…' _Ho-Oh thought. Hearing the sound growing louder and louder, she quickly moved along the clouds, letting them hide her presence. _'I better go down to the mountains, I can't risk them seeing me,' _she thought, adjusting herself and beginning to fly downwards.

To Ho-Oh's confusion, she heard another of the sounds from a different direction than the first. Humming slightly to herself, she turned and flew around the face of mountain. Again, she heard _another_ one different from the first two. Okay, this was starting to irritate her. Deciding it was best to pause to think on this, she quickly descended and landed on a small rocky alcove in one of the mountains.

Looking around with her keen eyesight, she spotted at least three or four of the same machines in the distance. She narrowed her eyes. This was beginning to look suspicious. She'd come close to different kinds of airborne human machines, such as those with the spinning things on top like the ones currently in the area-although these had two instead of one-or the big and long balloon-like ones or the ones with wings that looked oddly like Latias and Latios' own wings, but usually there was just one, but for her to come across so many… realization dawned upon her. _'They know I'm here… but how did they find me?'_ she wondered, thinking back to see if she had made a mistake that gave away her presence, but she could think of nothing. Not wanting an unnecessary fight, Ho-Oh decided to sneak away from them. She spread her wings and glided down the side of the mountain. The bases of the mountains were covered in forests, ravines and rivers. Maybe she could use them for cover.

Flying as low as possible, she swooped through the mountains easily, making sharp turns through the canyons that the mountain bases provided. She hoped she could avoid these humans; she was not in the mood for a fight. _'Then again, Humanity often gets silly ideas of power and tries to capture Legendaries like me. Sometimes they need a lesson taught to them…'_ Ho-Oh admitted, slightly bemused that humanity had once again decided to defy her. _'But right now I'll settle with simply escaping…'_

Unbeknownst to Ho-Oh, a single helicopter was rounding the perimeter of the mountain she was using as cover. The pilot looked out of his cabin, hoping to see the Legendary Pokémon he was set on finding, just like the other couple dozen helicopters. Thankfully, the circular windshields of the cabins gave a good view of the area.

When he rounded a particularly bulky crest, he nearly had a heart attack when he came face to face with Ho-Oh, the very Pokémon they were searching for. Ho-Oh gave a squawk of alarm and quickly closed her wings tight to her body, falling in a steep dive as the Helicopter pulled up, both barely avoiding collision.

"Attention! Attention I've found it!" The pilot roared over the intercom as he turned the helicopter and began to chase after Ho-Oh. He pressed several buttons. "Transmitting location!"

Back in the Flying Fortress, Oakley was looking out to the mountain range. Each passing second that they didn't find Ho-Oh was like torture to her. Who knew what Giovanni would do to them if they returned empty handed? _'Whatever it is, it's not going to be pretty…'_ she thought deadpan.

A small static sound was head. "Commander Oakley, we have an incoming transmission!"

"Put it on loudspeakers!" she ordered immediately. The grunts complied wordlessly.

"Attention! Attention! I've found it!" they all heard from the intercom. "Transmitting location!"

"Relay the position on the main screen!" Oakley shouted as the screen atop the command deck lit up, displaying a map of the region with a red dot signifying Ho-Oh's transmitted location. "It managed to move over five miles since the thermal image? Impressive," she noted.

"Finally, the time has come!" Annie said gleefully.

Oakley nodded as she grabbed the intercom and sent a transmission to all ships. "Target found, location should be transmitted shortly to all aircraft. Engage target in combat! If Ho-Oh displays any abilities that our research team was unable to learn about from Ecruteak City, report them immediately, and also confirm abilities we suspect Ho-Oh has so we can form a reliable database," she ordered.

"Ho-Oh is thirty miles away from here…" Annie noted. She turned to the helmsman. "Move the Flying Fortress towards Ho-Oh. The helicopters will make sure Ho-Oh comes to us as well. Alert the crew to ready the primary weapons," she ordered. The grunts nodded and did what they were told.

Annie frowned. "Think a couple dozen helicopters and a pair of assault aircraft will be enough?"

"I hope so…" Oakley muttered. She knew that Ho-Oh was a powerful Legendary. She just wondered_ how_ powerful it was.

"We could always use an old-fashioned Pokémon battle to capture it," Annie suggested.

"Pfft, are you crazy? It'd kill us! Ho-Oh's very powerful, I doubt we can beat it with the Pokémon we were supplied from Team Rocket's elite headquarters even if we fought it twelve to one…" Oakley said. "Machines are _way _more reliable."

"Just don't go power crazy like you did back at the DMA," Annie told her jokingly. Oakley glared at her. Annie smiled as an idea struck her. "Hey, think I can have a feather from Ho-Oh before it's incarcerated? They are said to have healing properties… and it'd make an awesome pendant!" she said dreamily. Oakley facepalmed.

"You're hopeless…" Oakley muttered in disdain. Both Team Rocket agents turned to look towards the mountains, knowing they had finally found their quarry. Oakley grasped the Prison Ball yet again, eager at last to have a Legendary Pokémon under her control.

Meanwhile, Ho-Oh had been flying along the edge of the mountain, doing sharp turns between the cliffs and rock formations to evade her pursuer, but it was to no avail. The strange human flying machine kept chasing her no matter what cunning evasion tactics she used. The pilot smirked as Oakley's transmission ended and took aim at the Legendary Rainbow Pokémon.

"Heat seeker missiles will sure be useful," the pilot said to himself. With a single push of a button, the helicopter's missile launcher fired a heat seeking missile. The missile immediately locked on to Ho-Oh and began to fly after her.

The Rainbow Pokémon looked back and noticed a strange piece of metal flying at her while leaving a smoke trail behind it. Knowing that humanity had a knack for making destructive weapons, she turned around and fired a powerful Flamethrower, successfully intercepting the missile before it got too close to her and causing it to explode prematurely. She noticed the forceful blast it produced as it left a cloud of smoke behind. _'Hm, while I don't mind the fire, the force of the blast might be dangerous,' _Ho-Oh noted. _'They decided to openly attack me? Well, it's time for me to fight back! Let's see how tough the human's machines really are!' _

From the cloud of smoke the explosion had generated, Ho-Oh quickly took a deep breath and fired a very potent Fire Blast, using the Helicopter's engine noise to pinpoint its exact location.

A massive star-shaped flaming projectile emerged from the cloud of smoke. The helicopter quickly steered to the right, causing the fire attack to miss. Ho-Oh quickly took advantage of the cover the smoke granted before it was blown away by the wind. Pushing her wings tight to her body, Ho-Oh began to fall in a steep dive. The helicopter's pilot was too distracted from dodging the Fire Blast to notice.

The helicopter stabilized quickly and turned to look at the smoke as it faded completely, revealing…nothing. "Huh…where did it go?" the pilot wondered aloud, looking around from the view of his cockpit, hands never leaving the missile control panel.

Guessing that the transparent glass panel was the place where the human that controlled the machine was, Ho-Oh had moved below the helicopter, effectively positioning herself in a blind spot. She opened her beak as a glob of orange volatile energy formed. Rearing back slightly, she fired an incredibly powerful Hyper Beam at the helicopter. Having no way of seeing the attack coming; the attack collided against the aircraft, causing it to explode in midair.

Ho-Oh watched as the remains of the man-made machine slowly fell towards the rocks below, never to fly again. Turning her head, she saw another two helicopters nearing her position from the distance. A fire erupted form the sides of their fuselages as a heat-seeking missile was fired from each of them.

The Rainbow Legendary Pokémon quickly flapped her wings and began to fly around the mountain, expecting the explosive devices to follow a straight path and miss her, but she gave a surprised gasp when they began to follow her. _'They can follow me around, eh?_' Ho-Oh though to herself, slightly annoyed.

She quickly turned around as her body began to give off a faint red glow, heat emanating from her body as the air around her began to rise in temperature tremendously and began to clearly shimmer. With a particularly powerful flap of her massive wings, a huge wall of superheated air was sent in the direction of the missiles as she used Heat Wave.

The attack struck the two missiles and caused them to explode. The helicopters moved to avoid the large affected area of Ho-Oh's Heat Wave attack. Using the explosion as cover, she flew at them with impressive speed, passing through the flames without a care. The pilots of the helicopters were surprised to see Ho-Oh emerge from the fire, a Hyper Beam already charging in her beak. The two aircraft quickly steered in opposite directions to minimize the collateral damage should Ho-Oh manage to hit one.

The Rainbow Pokémon chose her target and fired the Hyper Beam. The pure energy beam was too fast for the chosen helicopter to dodge as it was hit. Just like the previous one, it also exploded violently, and the remains tumbled to the ground below. "Requesting backup! Ho-Oh's destroyed two helicopters already!" the pilot cried over the intercom. He set his eyes on the Legendary Pokémon again. Giving the command, another missile was fired.

The time it took the Helicopter to take aim, begin the firing sequence and fire the missile was enough for Ho-Oh to recharge after using Hyper Beam. She took a deep breath and fired a Fire Blast towards the incoming missile, effectively destroying it. The roar of an engine told Ho-Oh that another helicopter was getting close behind her. _'Persistent pests! Just how many are there?'_ Ho-Oh wondered to herself.

The newly arrived helicopter fired a missile. Ho-Oh quickly dived to dodge it, however, to her surprise, the missile stopped following her and locked into a new target: the explosion from the missile she had destroyed with Fire Blast. The missile collided with that midair explosion, making it even bigger._ 'Mmn, that exploding metal thing followed the explosion of my Fire Blast instead of me?'_ Ho-Oh noted as she craned her neck to look behind her. Realization hit her. _'They don't specifically follow me, they follow heat! When I got out of the way, the nearest heat source was that explosion instead of me. Interesting…' _she thought.

She quickly spun in place, took a deep breath, and exhaled a stream of flames so hot they were a bright white. Her Flamethrower traveled fast though the air, but the helicopter maneuvered out of the way just in time.

A quick whistling sound of something tearing through the air told Ho-Oh that another of those exploding metal things was flying after her, which was starting to visibly annoy her. She quickly turned to face the incoming projectile and gave a mighty flap of her wings, generating a series of massive wind blades as she used Air Cutter. The crescent blades traveled at impressive speeds through the air and collided with the missile, causing it to explode.

Ho-Oh knew that in the open sky against weapons like the ones the humans were using she'd be at a disadvantage, so she decided to fight even lower, perhaps at ground level if necessary. She quickly dove lower so she could more effectively use the mountains and rocky landscape as cover. "The target's heading for lower altitudes!" the pilots reported as they followed Ho-Oh.

Both helicopters took aim at the descending Legendary Pokémon, though they noticed it was glowing, and a Legendary Pokémon that was glowing generally meant a _really _powerful attack was coming. Both fired a missile towards the descending legend.

During the descent Ho-Oh had been powering up one of her strongest attacks, her entire plumage glowing a bright red and gold. Ho-Oh abruptly stopped and turned while taking a deep breath, then exhaled a colossal torrent of a holy golden fire. The attack's sheer temperature completely overloaded the sensors of the heat-seeking missiles, causing them to explode a few seconds before the attack even touched them. The massive torrent of Sacred Fire passed between both the helicopters. The attack barely touched them but the massive temperatures were enough to ignite the fuel in the engines, causing both aircraft to explode violently. The fire stream continued up into the sky for several miles before running out of power and oxygen. Ho-Oh nodded, pleased. That'd teach them a lesson.

She frowned, feeling slightly nostalgic. It had been a while since humanity had last dared to make such a move against her. The last time had been when that greedy human, the King of Pokélantis, had dared try to enslave her to steal her power to dominate the world, but he failed and was defeated by her. _'That was thousands of years ago. Back then humans were more in tune with nature. They relied more on the power of Pokémon, and the powers some humans developed, such as magic, psychics and Aura users…' _She thought while recalling the king's malice and powers, an aura as black and dark as night itself._ "Now humans rely on machines, the "technology" they praise so much…they've changed a lot over the years,' _she thought to herself as she resumed her descent.

She gazed to her side and frowned in irritation when she saw four more of those accursedly loud flying machines coming towards her._ 'Humanity failed to capture me with Pokémon and their own powers and connections with nature long ago. What will the result of their fancy machines be? Will I have to destroy an entire kingdom like I did against that king of Pokélantis? Well… its harder to identify where exactly these humans are from, but for now I'll settle with simply fending them off,' _Ho-Oh thought, but she just _knew_, with a distressing feeling that wouldn't leave her, that there was something _darker_ behind all this, and that she was in grave danger, but she couldn't quite make sense of it. What could the humans be planning this time? _'I'll have to be extra careful with my every move…' _It was times like this that her view on humanity really got close to a negative one, but again, an image of a certain human flashed in her mind, the human that had so closely bonded with two Legendaries and one of the few Humans she had ever openly talked to before, Ash Ketchum.

Deciding that she had been playing defensive for long enough, Ho-Oh decided to go on the offense. She began flying close to the rock face of one of the mountains towards the helicopters that were flying at her. "The target's moving to engage us now!" one of the pilots reported. All of the helicopters fired a barrage of high-explosive rockets.

Ho-Oh was quick to note that these didn't alter their path with her movements, so she guessed they didn't follow heat. Deciding to shield herself, she stopped slightly as her body shimmered and elevated its temperature. With a flap of her wings, a huge wall of scorching air was pushed forward as she used Heat Wave. All the projectiles detonated on contact with her attack.

Using the resulting smoke as cover, Ho-Oh took a deep breath and exhaled a potent Fire Blast, but to her dismay, the Team Rocket helicopters had already spread out to cover more airspace, so the fire attack soared harmlessly through the air.

Ho-Oh noted the flying machines were moving to surround her, so, making a quick decision, she began to charge another Sacred Fire. Her body began to glow a celestial red, her plumage beginning to release embers as she began to heat all the air around her. The helicopters fired another salvo of rockets towards the Legendary Pokémon, but again the searing heat that she was giving off detonated them prematurely.

Ho-Oh would have smirked if she could have. They had fallen for her trap. She flapped her wings hard as her plumage erupted into a blast of Sacred Fire, releasing a colossal onslaught of scorching fire in every direction. Two of the Helicopters managed to move back in time to safety, but the other two weren't fast enough, both exploded in midair, the detonation paling beside Ho-Oh's attack. "Target's destroyed two more!" one of the surviving pilots reported.

As Ho-Oh's attack receded and she returned to normal, she quickly looked around and noticed that two helicopters had survived. She flapped her wings and began to fly in the opposite direction to put some distance between them. To her shock, just emerging from the side of a mountain, was yet another of the Team Rocket aircraft. It fired a heat-seeking missile as Ho-Oh tried to dodge to the side. However, the homing of the missile was too precise, it collided against her side, causing her to let out a deafening screech of pain as it exploded against her, the sheer force of the blast tearing apart the flesh and bones from her right wing. She began to fall from the sky, her wing completely mangled and bloodied and numerous deep wounds on her side as well. "Direct hit!" the pilot who'd taken the shot reported. "Target has taken severe wounds!"

However, Ho-Oh was not a legendary to go down that easily. She closed her eyes and began to hum. Her body gave off a divine glow as her plumage began to release small cinders. Her wounded side was covered in a veil of golden and gentle embers of a holy fire as she activated her Regenerator ability. Her wounds began to close and her torn bones and muscles began to grow back and reset themselves. Within seconds, she gave a triumphant squawk and flapped her wings-one of them recently grown back to normal- -to stop her fall. She turned and glared at the human-made machines with clear anger in her eyes. "That's it, I'm getting serious," she muttered lowly. She was surprised they had managed to wound her to the point of needing Regenerator. She had to be more careful, she couldn't use Regenerator continuously.

"The target's completely healed the damage from the missile!" the pilot reported as he gazed from the cockpit of his helicopter. "It completely fixed its wing! Healing ability: confirmed!"

Ho-Oh began to fly towards the helicopters at a fast pace. The aircraft angled themselves to fire at the incoming Legend, but she expected that. She craned her neck slightly and spat a small Fire Blast before resuming her charge towards the three Rocket airships. True to Ho-Oh's speculation, they attacked her with the heat seeking explosives. Big mistake. With a quick Aerial Ace, she maneuvered between them with ease. After losing her from their sensors, the heat seeking missiles followed her stray Fire Blast.

Seeing Ho-Oh was getting dangerously close, the three helicopters scrambled in different directions, not that it mattered to the pissed off Rainbow Legendary. She flapped her wings with exceptional force, sending a barrage of crescent wind blades towards one of the attackers. The blades collided with the side of it, denting the metal severely, but the real damage was done to the rotor engine to the right, it had been completely torn to shreds by Ho-Oh's Air Cutter attack. Without the proper support, the helicopter fell from the sky.

Ho-Oh turned quickly as her body began to glow a soft red. With another particularly powerful flap of her wings, a large amount of scorching hot air was sent towards the second helicopter's path in the form of Heat Wave. In a desperate move, the aircraft's pilot fired a barrage of high-explosive rockets, but it was to no avail as they exploded harmlessly against the attack. The Heat Wave collided with the helicopter, melting all the delicate wires and controls from the inside out as the pilot was roasted alive. The fuel ignited, causing it to explode violently.

The last helicopter began to fly back as Ho-Oh turned to it, the pilot fearing for his life, an angry glare present on Ho-Oh's face. The sound of an energy beam soaring through the air snapped her attention from it as she saw what seemed to be a Hyper Beam just a few meters from slamming into her. She had no time to react as the attack collided with her, exploding forcefully.

Ho-Oh recovered quickly and turned to the source of the attack. Her beak dropped at the sight of the new attacker. It was a very large flying machine, even bigger than her, a_ lot_ bigger.

It was a large helicopter-like aircraft with three engine rotors on each side, a pair of turbines in the front of the aircraft on the upper part of each side, five rectangular rocket and missile launcher pods on the sides of the fuselage. Several smaller energy cannons adorned the front with a large tank cannon on top. Smoke was coming out of it, indicating it had just been fired. It was not alone; however, as another three of the double rotor Helicopters accompanied it.

The pilot of the assault aircraft grinned and pressed a switch, activating the loudspeakers. "Ho-Oh, your freedom has ended! Starting today, you belong to Team Rocket! Surrender and this will be a lot less painful!" he declared boldly.

A vein of irritation appeared on Ho-Oh's forehead. They had the nerve to talk to her like that? Her answer to those claims of course was a powerful Fire Blast. The Central cannon of the assault aircraft fired again another Hyper Beam imitation, cancelling out both attacks in a spectacular explosion. Ho-Oh looked around, evaluating her situation._ 'I think this does it. Humankind's technology has made them more dangerous than back then…it's a good thing I still have my own secrets and surprises, though. If the human's think I'm alone here, they are wrong. If the situation calls for it, I will show them not to mess with a Legendary Pokémon like me!' _Ho-Oh thought determinedly.

The pilot pressed a switch to active the private intercom. "Commander Oakley, this is Assault airship one, I've engaged the target. I'll keep it busy until you arrive."

In the 'Flying Fortress' Annie and Oakley smirked. Oakley reached down and grabbed the intercom to answer the transmission she had just received. "Alright, ETA to your location is ten minutes, keep it in the area until then."

"Roger that," came the answer as the intercom went quiet.

"Ugh, I wish this thing was faster!" Annie whined. "We've also lost some helicopters already, it's a good thing that Giovanni said that as long as we got a capture he wouldn't get mad over losing lots of expensive machines…"

"Don't worry, more of the helicopters that had spread out are converging on the battle site against Ho-Oh. Our victory is assured," Oakley answered. She grabbed her Prison Ball and held it up proudly. "Today, Ho-Oh falls to us!"

* * *

Bianca smiled as she gazed towards the entrance of the arena. She was currently in the long hallway that led from the personal coordinator rooms in the back to the arena itself. "Almost there…" she muttered anxiously. "I've gotten this far, just a bit more…but this match is a tough one. I hope I can win it." She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, though to the naked eye there was nothing there. Naturally most people would be terrified after being touched by an invisible limb, but Bianca was long since used to that. "Hi Latias, are you ready as well?"

"_Of course I am,"_ the invisible red eon dragoness replied, smiling at her best friend, though Bianca couldn't see it.

"Good to hear it. Let's show them what we can do!" Bianca chimed, nodding proudly to herself.

Meanwhile, in the arena, thousands and thousands of fans were cheering loudly as the start of the battle neared. A woman standing beside the battlefield tapped her microphone two times, causing an echo. The crowds stopped cheering and looked expectantly at the woman. "Welcome to all! I'm your host, Vivian Meridian!" she said, introducing herself as she usually did. "Let me welcome you all to the semi-finals of this great Hoenn Grand Festival!" The crowd cheered loudly. Vivian waited a few seconds until the thrill died down so she could continue. "Allow me to introduce our judges: Raoul Contesta, Mister Sukizo, and three local Nurse Joys from the Hoenn region!" she said, each judge giving their salutations as their names were mentioned.

"Both coordinators take the stage!" Vivian announced. Both Bianca and her opponent, a tall man with long blond hair, entered the arena. "Let's greet Coordinator Robert from Silver Rock Isle. He's been steadily advancing with clear victories over every coordinator he's faced so far! Opposing him is Coordinator Bianca from the island paradise of Alto Mare, a skilled yet rookie coordinator, and also a well known artist. How will she fare against the more experienced Robert?" Vivian said as both coordinators walked to their corresponding side of the battlefield.

A huge screen atop the stadium lit up, displaying a photo of both Bianca and Robert. In between their photos was a contest ribbon and a timer, the clock being set to five minutes. Below each of their pictures was a yellow bar, depicting the points they each possessed. "Both trainers choose your Pokémon and let this contest semifinal battle begin!" Vivian shouted as the crowd cheered.

Robert grabbed two Pokéballs and threw them gracefully towards the field. "Go, Milotic and Claydol! Showtime!" Both Pokéballs burst open and in a bright light a long and incredibly pretty serpentine Pokémon was released, having a multicolored scaled-tail with a fan on the end. Most of the Pokémon's body was colored a soft cream, it had two long red upward-facing 'eyebrows' and from the same area sprouted two long red fins that went downwards. The other Pokémon was a small black doll-like Pokémon with an oval head with big red eyes circling it. Two arm-like nubs were levitating at either side of it.

'_Ready Latias? Let's do our usual stylish entrance,_' Bianca thought, grabbing a single Pokéball.

"_Ready,"_ Latias replied, having picked up Bianca's thoughts.

"Ready and to the stage!" Bianca shouted as she hurled her single Pokéball. Latias flew along the trajectory of the Pokéball just as it hit the ground and opened, releasing a small blue bird-like Pokémon with a pair of very fluffy and cotton-like wings in a bright flash of white light. Latias took advantage of the flash, activating her light-refracting special feathers to reveal herself in a bright display of blue lights that mixed with the Pokéball's natural flash, creating a nice display of lights that gently faded, revealing both Latias and Swablu. The crowd gasped in awe.

"A very stylish and bright entrance on Bianca's part! Of course, all this is possible thanks to her well known and very unique Pokémon, the Legendary Latias!" Vivian commented over the microphone, her voice carried over the speakers.

"Interesting entrance," Raoul Contesta agreed, nodding.

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said simply.

"That's a very good way to show off a Pokémon using their natural abilities!" one of the Nurse Joy's commented. The other two nodded in agreement.

"_Go Latias! Go! Go! Go! You can win! You too Bianca! Good luck! Good Luck! Good luck! Win this one!"_ Latios cheered them both telepathically. Bianca and Latias smiled and held back giggles.

"_Thanks brother,"_ Latias replied. She looked around_. "Which part of the stands are you guys on, anyway?"_ she asked.

"_Here,"_ Latios answered, using a small psychic pulse to signal Latias on their position. Latias sensed it and looked at the stands, seeing Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder and Brock leaning over the wall that separated the stands. Both were waving their arms, and she sensed Latios was hovering over them. Latias smiled. She knew they were all cheering for her and Bianca.

"Let the semifinal contest battle for the Hoenn Grand Festival BEGIN!" Vivian shouted over the microphone, snapping Latias' attention back to the battle. The timer on the big screen immediately began counting down, changing to four minutes and fifty-nine seconds and continuing downwards.

"Latias, Swablu, get ready!" Bianca shouted. Both Pokémon nodded, Swablu flapping her cloud-like wings to lift herself off the ground.

"Claydol, use Cosmic power," Robert said calmly. Claydol began to emit a humming sound as all its eyes glowed softly. Soon its entire body was covered in a dark gray glow that seemed to resemble space, it even had several bright white dots as if simulating stars. The Pokémon slowly gathered power to increase its defensive prowess.

"Latias, we can't let it get too much power, use Dragon Pulse!" Bianca shouted quickly, expecting to stop the Claydol before it charged up too much.

"_Okay!"_ Latias nodded and put both of her claws together, forming a green orb of draconic energies in her claws. She flung it at the ground-type while it was still charging the Cosmic Power, and of course, Robert wasn't going to let it get interrupted.

"Milotic, shield Claydol and use Aqua Ring!" Robert ordered. Milotic gave a shrill cry and wasted no time in following the command. She quickly slithered and coiled around Claydol, spitting a stream of water that formed into a ring that completely surrounded the two Pokémon as they glowed slightly. Latias' Dragon Pulse collided with the water ring. The spinning waters barely held against the concentrated draconic energy, but still managed to stop the dragoness' attack dead on its tracks.

"A perfect combination!" Vivian remarked. "Using Milotic to shield Claydol while it powers up!"

"Yes," Raoul Contesta agreed. "Not only is it shielding Claydol, but it's also making a nice visual appeal," he said as he looked at the two glowing Pokémon surrounded by the veil of water. "It truly brings out their beauty!"

"Yes, remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said simply.

"A very interesting combination indeed," one of the Nurse Joys said. Up on the screen, Bianca's point bar lost about an eighth of its contents.

"Quick, we need to interrupt them! Swablu, use Aerial Ace on Claydol!" Bianca shouted. Swablu nodded and quickly flew low to the ground, white streaks of wind forming around her from the speed she was beginning to gain.

"Milotic, stop it with Ice Beam…on your Aqua Ring, and then use Iron Tail!" Robert countered. Milotic quickly opened her mouth as a sphere of freezing energies gathered in it. She fired a potent Ice Beam that immediately froze the Aqua Ring on contact. Her tail shone a bright white as it hardened to metallic properties. With a violent yet elegant swing, the frozen Aqua Ring shattered, sending a barrage of icicles towards the incoming cotton-winged flying type.

"Swablu's in trouble after a neat combo from Robert! How will Bianca counter that?" Vivian cried as the ice shards headed towards the Flying-Type. Up on the screen, Bianca lost a few points.

Swablu gulped as she saw the incoming ice shards. "Uh-oh…"

"Latias, shield Swablu with Psychic!" Bianca yelled frantically.

"_On it!"_ Latias responded as her eyes glowed brightly. The freezing projectiles shattered before they could hit the Cotton Bird Pokémon thanks to Latias' mental powers.

Bianca grinned, getting an idea. "Latias, use Psychic to improve Swablu's Aerial Ace with that ice!" The eon dragoness nodded and readied a second Psychic attack.

All the ice moved out of the way as if to allow Swablu safe passage through them. Of course, that was Latias. Most of the ice attached to the wind from the Aerial Ace, making the attack shine in a pretty manner as it reflected the sun's natural shine.

Unable to react in time, Milotic couldn't make an effort to stop Swablu as the Pokémon maneuvered safely around the Water-type's coils and collided with Claydol, the ice infused to the attack increasing the damage it inflicted exponentially. This caused it to lose concentration of the Cosmic Power. Sadly for Bianca, it had already managed to get in a decent boost in power.

"Another impressive combination! Not only did it have a ton of visual appeal, but it was a good way to show how to turn your opponent's attacks against them!" Vivian cheered.

"Impressive!" Contesta said. "That was a good combination to render Milotic's combo useless!"

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo remarked, nodding. Up on the scoreboard, it was Robert's turn to lose points as about a sixth of his overall total was deducted.

Robert gazed at the screen and nodded slightly. "As I expected, you are a difficult opponent Bianca, especially thanks to your Legendary Pokémon Latias. But its time to show you what my team is capable of! Claydol, use Teleport then Calm Mind, Milotic, use Wrap on that Swablu!"

Robert's Pokémon immediately took action. While Claydol teleported behind Milotic and far from the overall battle, almost near Robert himself, Milotic's tail quickly lashed out, catching Swablu before she could fly away and coiled around her tightly. Swablu gave a cry of pain as Milotic's strong tail muscles began to squeeze her.

"Milotic has grabbed hold of Swablu and Claydol keeps powering up!" Vivian commented as the Claydol glowed a soft red while all its eyes were closed. "What will Bianca do?" she wondered.

Bianca growled lowly, knowing she had to either save Swablu or stop Claydol from powering up even more. The distance between the two made it so she could only attack one of them. Making her decision, she gave her next order. "Latias, use psychic to free Swablu!"

Latias smiled as she too had been thinking along the same lines as Bianca, and she didn't need to use her mind to know that. Surely she could take on an overpowered Claydol! _'I hope I can…'_ she thought rather nervously… and why did she think she just heard Latios' voice saying something along like _'yesyoucan-yesyoucan-yesyoucan'_ very rapidly in her mind? Oh well, silly big brothers. Shaking off those thoughts, her eyes glowed a bright blue as she concentrated her psychic powers on Milotic's body.

Swablu felt the pressure stop and looked around, noticing that Milotic was struggling to keep squeezing and was visibly tense as she tried to fight against Latias' psychic hold, but the Water-type's muscles didn't held enough power. Milotic's coils loosened as she could no longer fight against the strength of Latias' mind.

Swablu quickly flew away from Milotic's coils as Latias' mental assault on Milotic's body ended. "Oww… I feel sore all over…" Milotic mumbled, all her muscles sore from fighting Latias' psychic attack. Thankfully for the Tender Pokémon, Claydol levitated to her side, having finished powering up from the Calm Mind. "About damn time you finished."

"Sorry," Claydol said simply. It seemed to not be the talkative type.

"Another interesting exchange of attacks!" Vivian noted. Up on the scoreboard, both Bianca and Robert lost another bit of their points. The clock kept counting down, now it was in the four minute mark.

"Time to get serious! Milotic, use Mist!" Robert ordered. Milotic nodded and reared back as she took a deep breath, spitting a very thick, cold mist that quickly covered the contest arena.

Swablu looked around nervously. "I can't see a thing! What about you, Latias?" She shivered involuntarily. "S-s-s-so c-c-c-cold…"

"Not with my eyes, but I can sense everything perfectly, so don't worry," Latias answered back, relying on her mental senses to see the opposing Pokémon. She too shivered. "I hate the cold…"

"Me too," Swablu agreed.

"Claydol, use Ice Beam on Swablu!" Robert ordered quickly. The two pointed nubs that made up Claydol's arms shifted forward as they fired beams of freezing energies. The Mist attack made it even stronger as it made it easier for the Ice Beam to hit its mark.

Latias sensed the attack coming and was quick to warn Swablu. "Quick, fly lower!" she said frantically as the Ice attack closed in. Swablu trusted Latias and flew a bit lower, causing the Ice Beam to pass over her.

Robert smirked. "Claydol, use Teleport, then Rapid Spin," he said calmly, knowing he was about to gain control over the match. The Ground and Psychic-type quickly teleported to the center of the arena, causing Latias to reel back in alarm. Much to her surprise, Claydol didn't attack her with the Rapid Spin as she had initially expected. Instead, it stayed in place as it started to spin rapidly, the wind currents beginning to carry the icy mist with them, creating an incredibly cold tornado. "Milotic, Safeguard!" Robert commanded quickly.

"Counter this!" Milotic cried as her body began to glow in a multicolor aurora that made her look like a divine goddess. The glow of her attack began to expand within the mist, creating a multicolor mist tornado. Latias and Swablu had to close their eyes from the colorful display, both being partially blinded by it. Also, the cold misty winds began to spell trouble for them as they shivered again, this time a lot harder as both of them were weak to ice.

"Latias, quick, break that with Psychic by attacking Claydol!" Bianca commanded, seeing the trouble both her Pokémon were in.

"_I can't!" _Latias said worriedly. _"The Safeguard mixed into the Mist attack is messing up my senses, I can't pinpoint where Swablu, Claydol or Milotic are!" _

"Wow! Just wow! This combination is a certainly unique and amazing one!" Vivian announced, clearly impressed. "It completely stopped Latias and Swablu in their tracks while delivering an incredibly amazing display!"

"This is a very interesting move on Robert's part. Using a several-stage attack to confuse and damage Latias while causing great appeal is amazing. Swablu, being smaller, isn't faring as well either," Raoul Contesta commented.

"This is really remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo added.

"Indeed," a nurse Joy agreed.

"While Mist and Safeguard are non-damaging moves, their combination with Rapid Spin has turned them into a really powerful tornado, and since Mist is an ice-type attack, it's spelling a lot of problems for Latias and Swablu!" another Nurse Joy commented.

"This is really good!" the other Nurse Joy said with a clearly impressed voice. Up on the scoreboard, with the timer down to three and a half minutes, Bianca lost a whopping _third_ of her points. Added with the previous losses, this left her with a bit less than half of her total points.

"Latias, break that with Mist Ball!" Bianca shouted, hoping one of Latias' strongest moves could get her and Swablu out of this mess. Latias concentrated as best as she could and began to form a small white orb between her claws, reddish mist swirling around it. Latias detonated the orb, causing a red tint to appear in the misty tornado, slowly weakening its power. "Now, stop Claydol with Ice Beam!"

"Want something cold? I assume you hate it too!" Latias taunted as she fired her own Ice-type attack at the spinning Claydol. The attack collided forcefully with the Psychic-type, freezing it in place and causing the mist tornado to slowly stop and begin to get overpowered by Latias' mist.

"Milotic, use your own Ice Beam!" Robert ordered. Milotic nodded and began to charge her own Ice-Type attack. However, Bianca was not having any of that.

"Latias, use Dragon Pulse, combine it with the lingering Mist Ball!" Bianca shouted. Latias wasted no time in forming a greenish draconic energy orb within her claws. Charging it much, _much _faster than Milotic and her ice Beam, she hurled it towards the Water-Type. As the Dragon Pulse soared through the air, it began to gain a reddish tint as it mixed with Latias' earlier Mist Ball, leaving a misty-red streak in its wake.

'_Uh…this is bad…' _Milotic thought as the powered-up Dragon Pulse flew in a straight course right at her. She was unable to finish her Ice Beam in time as the attack slammed into her forcefully, flinging her back and cracking the arena floor. The force of the blast also shattered Claydol's ice prison, hurling the Ground-type as well.

Latias smirked when she saw her attacks had been successful. "Good work, Latias!" Bianca praised from her side of the field. Latias pictured a smile in her mind.

Latias looked around, wondering where Swablu was. As if on cue, the small Cotton bird Pokémon landed on her back with a thud, looking dizzy and unable to make out her surroundings. "Owwww… No… more… tornadoes…with… lots…of… pretty… colors…" she choked out as Latias turned her neck to look at her.

Latias giggled, realizing that while all she had to do to keep the mist tornado from moving her was strengthen the power in her levitation, Swablu couldn't do that and was probably blown away by it. It didn't help that Swablu was relatively light and small, while Latias was bigger and had more resistance.

"If we thought Robert's combination was good, Bianca's response to it wasn't so bad either!" Vivian commented excitedly.

"An impressive demonstration of Latias' abilities to turn the tables!" Contesta said while nodding in approval. "Not only did it show Latias' power, but it was done in a stylish manner!"

"Very remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo remarked… again.

"Impressive," a Nurse Joy agreed. On the scoreboard, Robert lost around a fourth of his points, leaving him a bit over half his total, but still with an advantage over Bianca. The timer was now at two minutes and fifty seconds.

"_Nice job Latias!"_ Latios said happily in her mind. _"That was awesome!"_

"_Thanks brother,"_ Latias beamed.

"This battle is intense," Brock commented as Milotic and Claydol recovered.

"Yeah, but Bianca's gonna win for sure!" Ash replied with a smile.

"She has to be careful. She's down in points and so far Claydol hasn't attacked directly. Remember that Claydol already has a Cosmic Power and a Calm Mind boost," Brock noted.

"Yeah…" Ash agreed. "But Bianca will win, I'm sure of it!"

"_That's the spirit!"_ Latios agreed happily, startling both of them, as he squeezed between them, leaning over the wall and pushing them slightly, which looked odd considering it seemed like they had been pushed by thin air.

Brock laughed. "Someone's in a good mood today."

"_Of course I am!"_ Latios answered as he kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield. _"Go Latias! Win this one! You too, Bianca!"_

Ash, Pikachu and Brock sweatdropped collectively at Latios' rather out-of-character behavior. He was certainly not the type to go around cheering. "You're quite the cheerleader aren't you?" Pikachu joked. Latios would have glared at him in response, but he was too distracted by Bianca and Latias' battle. Also, he was invisible so no one would see the glare.

Latias giggled mentally, though her attention was fixed on Claydol and Milotic. _"Thanks for the cheers… though I think you're creeping Ash and Brock out,"_ she commented, noting Ash and Brock's expressions while looking at the space where the invisible blue eon dragon was.

"_Anything to cheer you up sis,"_ Latios said back telepathically, smiling at her.

"_At this rate you'__re going to end up in a cheerleading outfit,"_ Latias said teasingly, inserting a thought into all her friends' minds of Latios with a Latias themed shirt and several banners and flags and a foam hand. Most of them were Latias-themed while some were Bianca-themed. Latias had to suppress a laugh at it. Brock, Pikachu and Ash laughed openly.

"_If it cheers you into winning, I'll __make them,"_ Latios told her. Ash, Brock and Pikachu stopped laughing and stared at him flabbergasted while promptly taking a step away from him. Latios stared at them in confusion.

Latias froze for a few seconds, reconsidering. _"…I think it'd scare me into losing. Bianca as well."_

"_Alright,"_ Latios replied.

"When do you think he'll be back to normal?" Ash whispered to Pikachu.

"Probably when the battle's over. He's just extremely excited Latias and Bianca made it this far," Pikachu answered. "I don't think even one of my best shocks will get him back to normal."

"Okay," Ash said as he turned back to the battlefield. Both Claydol and Milotic were preparing to do something as Latias flew lower, Swablu recovered from her dizziness and flew off the Dragoness' back, getting ready to do their next combination and begin the contest match anew. The clock was down to two and a half minutes with Robert in the lead.

Meanwhile in the coordinator's rooms, the remaining two coordinators of the Hoenn Grand Festival looked at the screen that was displaying the match between Bianca and Robert.

"That's intense," Drew said to himself. "I might have some problems if Bianca wins. I have a strategy to counter Latias, but even so Latias is not an easy Pokémon to face in a contest."

"Hey!" an indignant female voice shouted, startling him out of his monologue. "You still have to fight _me_ before you advance to the final!" May told him seriously, nothing but fire in her eyes.

"I doubt you'd be much of a challenge," Drew said, not taking his eyes off the screen. "You should be watching this too. Even in the near impossible event that you beat me, you'd have to face either Robert, who is an extremely talented and experienced coordinator, or Bianca and her Legendary Pokémon in the finals. Both would be impossible for you to defeat."

May huffed. "Dream on! I might surprise you!"

"Oh, really?" Drew asked doubtfully.

"You'll see, our match is after this one, so if I were you, I'd be very careful," May said, suppressing an amused laugh. "You see, I have a nice combina-"

Before she could finish, Drew abruptly turned to her and pulled out a rose. May blinked. "Good luck charm, you'll need it," Drew said, giving it to her.

May laughed. "Well, I don't need any roses to be lucky. I hope Bianca wins, that way I'll face her in the finals!" she announced, thrusting a fist upwards while a dramatic background appeared behind her. "That way I'll beat my Rival in the finals!" She looked at Drew. "After all, I doubt_ you_ would be much of a challenge!"

Drew chuckled at having his statement bounced back at him and at May's eagerness. He looked back at the screen as Milotic and Claydol prepared another attack combination, Bianca's Swablu and Latias readying their own counters…

* * *

A wasteland was the best way to describe the solace and devastation on the southern coast of the Hoenn region. The coast was littered with uprooted trees and destroyed plant-life, clear signs of a flood present as the damage lessened the further inland it went. A few miles out to sea, was an island whose most prominent feature was a huge volcano in its center.

The island also showed signs of flooding and heavy damage. However, near the cost lay a single submarine with the emblem of the villainous Team Aqua, the upper part completely destroyed.

In the sea between the island and the main land, two colossal Pokémon stood. One of them was so big that the water only reached halfway up its body. The other one was a large aquatic blue whale of some sort. They were the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre. Both of them were covered in numerous wounds from the intense fight they were currently locked in. The very sky was split from the effect of the two Pokémon's abilities, Drizzle and Drought. Behind Groudon, no clouds were seen as a searing heat emanated from the Sun, while a torrential downpour fell behind Kyogre.

"Aahahahahahahaha! I'm invincible! I've become a god!" A man bellowed insanely from the small hovering platform he was standing on, supported by two mini rotors located on each side. This was Archie, the leader of Team Aqua. He didn't look exactly ordinary at the moment. Several red runes ran across his body and face as he had merged with the power of the Red Orb, the ancient artifact created to control the Legendary Sea Basin Pokémon and creator of the seas, Kyogre. "With the power of the great Lady Kyogre I shall rule the new world I will create, a world of oceans and perfection!"

"Dream on,_ I_ am the god here!" another equally insane man countered. He was also on a 'high ground' provided by a small Team Magma aircraft. This was Maxie, leader of the villainous Team Magma. His body was covered in blue runes as well from his fusion with the Blue Orb, the ancient artifact created to control the Legendary Continent Pokémon and creator of the land, Groudon. "With the power of the great Lord Groudon, I will create a world of endless lands, a world that doesn't waste space on filthy oceans!"

"With that false god Groudon?" Archie asked mockingly. "Land is an imperfection on Earth that I will correct!"

"Land? It's the seas that are the imperfection! You won't be laughing when Groudon and I leave you with nothing but some creeks and puddles!" Maxie retorted angrily.

"Nice one," Archie said sarcastically. "If the sea is as imperfect as you state, then why is it that nearly three fourths of the planet is covered in seas? That proves that water is more important!"

Maxie paused, but grinned maliciously. "If land is as imperfect as you mistakenly state it, then why does most of humanity live on it?"

"Oh what do I care? Groudon's nothing but an overgrown pathetic Larvitar… painted red…" Archie said, insulting Maxie, whose face turned beet red from pure anger.

"Kyogre is nothing but an overgrown Magikarp… painted blue…" Maxie shot back.

"Kyogre, kill that idiot! Prove your superiority!" Archie bellowed angrily. The colossal aquatic –currently controlled by a madman- Pokémon complied. She opened her massive jaws and fired an extremely powerful Hyper Beam, the attack's sheer power denting the ocean as it sailed towards the Continent Pokémon.

"Don't let that overgrown Magikarp bother you!" Maxie shouted back. Groudon opened his jaws and spat a torrent of mud as he used Mud Shot. The attack collided against Kyogre's powerful Hyper Beam and held it in a stalemate for several seconds, but the sheer power behind the energy beam broke through Groudon's Mud Shot, colliding against the continent Pokémon's chest and exploding violently. Huge ripples and waves were churned in the restless seas from the force of the resulting shockwave as Groudon staggered back, his titanic footsteps sending tremors across the seafloor.

Meanwhile, on the island, two lone men stood far away from the fighting between the Aqua and Magma grunts, and some trainers that had gotten stuck in the middle. What was odd was that one was dressed as a Team Aqua grunt and the other as a Team Magma grunt. One had to wonder why they weren't going at each other's necks... "Well, Should we move in now?" one of them asked, turning to the other.

"No, let's wait until both Team Magma and Team Aqua wears each other out, Tyson," the other answered.

"Stupid mask. I say we swoop in and capture either of those two," Tyson suggested, pointing at the two titan Pokémon.

"Shut it!" the Iron-Masked Marauder snapped back. "Plus… I'm waiting for something…"

"What's that?" Tyson asked.

"Don't you remember the legends we researched? According to them, when the battles between Groudon and Kyogre would reach their critical point, Rayquaza would descend from the skies to calm them down!" the Marauder said.

"Oh, right," Tyson said Mareepishly. He'd forgotten that.

"For now we'll wait until Groudon and Kyogre are both tired and Rayquaza appears. After that, all five of our target Pokémon will be in the area and we can make our choice and capture the one that's the most vulnerable," the Marauder said.

The entire region shook violently, causing both of them to turn to the battle and see that Kyogre had used Surf, causing a colossal wall of water to move in all directions. Groudon promptly broke the part of it that was heading towards him with a really powerful Solar Beam.

They watched as the rest of the Surf attack loomed over the island, threatening to sink it beneath the raging wave. They weren't really bothered though as this wasn't the first wave. True to their thoughts, a sphere of light promptly collided with it and exploded outward, forcing down the tsunami. The ball of light quickly receded, revealing the two Eon twins. "We can't keep bringing down waves all day brother, we've gotta do something!" Latias said.

He turned towards her. "What can we do? Groudon and Kyogre are too powerful for us to take them on! The best we can do is keep crashing down the waves they're making to make sure they don't cause too much collateral damage," Latios replied, looking frustrated. Where was Rayquaza?

"Well, Ash told us to somehow stop them! Think of something!" Latias snapped back. Latios turned towards the battle between the titans. He knew that he and his sister weren't strong enough to fight either of them. He saw the flying machine Archie was using and got an idea.

"Sis, we can't attack Groudon or Kyogre, but what about the two humans controlling them? If we knock them out, that might bring the big guys back to their senses!" Latios suggested.

She frowned. "But they'd _still_ go at each other's throats…"

"True, but maybe we could reason with them. They'd be pretty tired and would probably prefer a rest. I sure would. Let's do it!" Latios said.

She nodded. "I'll go after Archie, you take Maxie." They smiled at each other and with a massive burst of speed flew towards their selected targets.

"Ha! Are you starting to see that I and Kyogre are the true deities here!" Archie taunted, laughing madly.

"You? You're barely a bug compared to mine and Groudon's might!" Maxie said back. "You'll see when we're done with you! I will ki-" he paused when he saw that annoying Blue dragon from earlier flying at him. "You little brat…" Maxie growled in annoyance. He grabbed a Pokeball. "Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!" he shouted as he released the Pokémon. The canine Pokémon's muzzle opened quickly as it fired a ball of concentrated shadows at the incoming dragon.

Latios didn't seem bothered as he began to concentrate his Draconic powers into a greenish orb in his claws. He fired it towards the incoming Shadow Ball. His superior attack power was enough for the Shadow Ball to be destroyed upon contact with his Dragon Pulse. The attack sailed quickly towards Maxie's aircraft, hitting it on the upper part and causing an explosion in the hull, greatly damaging it. Latios growled when he sensed that Maxie had somehow come out unharmed. It must have been that dammed blue orb…

"Hahahaha! Can't deal with such a pitiful threat? Groudon is such a pussy…" Archie commented mockingly. He gazed downwards and noticed something in the reflection on the surface of his hovering platform. It was Latias, charging at him with a Dragon Pulse in her claws. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Lady Kyogre, protect me!" he screamed in terror.

Kyogre's body glowed blue as she summoned her strongest attack. Beneath Latias, the water glowed a light blue and a second later a massive pillar of high-pressurized water rose from the surface of the sea as she used Water Spout. Latias reacted quickly, flinging the Dragon Pulse downwards and intercepting the pillar of water, the attacks cancelling each other out.

Several more rings of blue light appeared in the sea as Kyogre began to use a series of Water Spouts to attack the Eon Dragoness. Latias quickly flew to the side, dodging the water attacks, using her psychic senses to pinpoint the location of each attack. She took advantage of her massive speed to dodge them with ease. She knew that the sheer power behind the Water Spouts would probably break every bone in her body if even one hit her, even if she was resistant to water-types. _'Its times like this that I thank Arceus I'm not an overly large Pokémon…'_ Latias thought to herself as she flew between Kyogre's attacks. Her only current regret was that she lacked the power to retaliate to the Sea Basin Pokémon's assaults and could do nothing but dodge.

"Groudon! Keep this pest off me!" Maxie shouted as his aircraft flew to the side, dodging another of Latios' Dragon Pulses.

Latios' body began to glow as he began to charge a Luster Purge, but suddenly felt a huge shadow fall over him. He turned his neck to look backwards and paled when he saw that Groudon was just behind him, raising a claw that was slowly beginning to glow green with the Dragon Claw attack. "Uh oh…" Latios muttered in fright. He quickly turned and fired his Luster Purge. It exploded in a bright flash of light against Groudon's body, but Latios knew that his attacks wouldn't really cause much damage to the titan of earth, but that wasn't his goal. Using the light of the Luster Purge as cover, he quickly flew to the side, (barely) evading Groudon's massive claw as it descended towards him.

"_My __attack isn't going so well. How about yours?"_ Latios asked telepathically.

"_Pretty lousy!"_ Latias said frantically as she flew between Kyogre's Water spouts, dodging the massive water assaults.

"Heh, that didn't turn out too well for the two dragons," Tyson commented. "If I recall, they were already captured by a trainer. Think that the Prison Balls can capture Pokémon already in the ownership of a trainer?"

"I think so…" The Iron-Masked Marauder answered. "But they're our last options should we be unable to get close to either of the three titan Pokémon. Still Latias and Latios are the weakest. Groudon, Kyogre or Rayquaza would be the best choices."

"I agree," Tyson replied. "And so far, they aren't tired, while Groudon and Kyogre have already suffered significant damage from their battle. It'd be easier to capture the weakened ones."

"We should wait for the outcome for now. When the time is appropriate, we'll quickly make our capture," the Marauder said. "So let's just watch."

Maxie gazed at Latios as he retreated from another Dragon Claw slash from Groudon and turned to see what was happening with Archie. He noticed Kyogre attacking the other dragon and grinned, seeing an opportunity. "Groudon, quick! Attack Kyogre while Archie's distracted!"

Groudon quickly turned as a ray of sunlight surrounded him. Taking advantage of the searing sunlight covering his half of the battlefield, he opened his jaws as a huge beam of bundled sunlight was fired from them, efficiently reducing the time it took to charge Solar Beam.

Neither Kyogre nor Archie noticed the attack in time. Kyogre let out a shriek of pain as the attack hit her, knocking her violently to the seafloor. Taking advantage of this, Latias turned towards Archie and charged a Dragon Pulse between her claws, flinging the attack towards the Team Aqua leader.

Archie maneuvered the platform quickly to the side, evading the greenish orb. "Kyogre, do something!" he shouted desperately. The sea's temperature dropped several dozen degrees as a massive Ice Beam attack erupted from the surface of the water, heading towards Groudon and encasing him in a solid block of ice upon contact. Not losing time, Kyogre surfaced and turned towards Latias, the Sea Basin Pokémon's Jaws opening and releasing a freezing Blizzard towards the eon Dragon.

Latias quickly flew to the side with the impressive speed that characterized her species, barely evading the Blizzard. She shivered as she felt the temperature drop in the air. Why did she choose to attack Archie where it was raining and cold? Though she guessed Latios was getting roasted from the searing heat of Groudon's side of the field…

"_I'm __not exactly getting roasted, but it's very uncomfortable…"_ Latios told her telepathically. A loud crack got their attention as they saw Groudon's body glowing a bright red, the ice crumbling as a massive blast of fire erupted all over the continent Pokémon's body, vaporizing the ice and causing the sea surrounding him to release a large cloud of steam. Latios quickly flew away from the Overheat attack to avoid it. _"Ugh, their attacks are so big we can barely get near Archie or Maxie!"_ Latios said gravely.

Maxie laughed. "Fear the might of the great lord Grou-" he was stopped as a thundering roar echoed in the sky, bringing everyone's attention upwards. The weather that had been relied up because of Groudon and Kyogre's presence began to calm down. The agonizing heat of Groudon's half began to lessen as the torrential rains on Kyogre's side began to lose power.

The clouds parted as the body of a green serpentine dragon appeared in the distance. Even under the control of the Blue and Red Orbs, Groudon and Kyogre turned towards the newcomer with hate and, at the same time, an odd look of respect in their eyes. The effect didn't last long as they quickly gave in to the control of the orbs again, though. Latios sighed in relief. _"About damn time he got here!"_

"_Yeah, took him long enough,"_ Latias agreed, smiling gently now that the one who had the power to stop this had finally arrived. The climate began to return to normal as Rayquaza's Air Lock neutralized Groudon and Kyogre's Drought and Drizzle.

Back on the island, Tyson and the Iron-Masked Marauder stared at the descending form of the great Dragon Rayquaza breathlessly. "An impressive sight…" Tyson commented. "It's a lot more imposing up close than in pictures and drawings…Any idea how we're supposed to capture _that?_"

"No idea. It may turn out to be too powerful for us to successfully capture. In any event, either the tired Groudon or Kyogre would be the best options," the Marauder said, evaluating the situation. "Our last gamble would be either Latias or Latios."

"So, do we move in now?" Tyson asked anxiously.

"No. According to the legends, Rayquaza descends from the world's ozone layer only to stop Groudon and Kyogre, and since I doubt Archie or Maxie would want to give up their control of their legends, they'll attack Rayquaza, I'm sure of it," The Marauder answered. "Our best option would be to wait and see if they manage to tire out Rayquaza a little, or if they end _worse_."

Tyson nodded. "Alright, but let's get ready anyways so we attack when the moment is right."

"Rayquaza…Groudon…Kyogre…Latias…Latios…" the Marauder muttered to himself. He reached underneath his cloak, lightly grasping his Prison Ball. "Who shall we capture?"

* * *

Well, this concludes the teaser chapter! I hope you all liked it, and I hope it fulfilled its goal of giving you an insight on some of my ideas while not revealing _too_ much. Like I said, while this gives out some stuff, there is still _plenty_ of other things that remain hidden.

**-****-**Also, please take note that these moments are written with my _current_ planning. When I reach each individual moment in the sequel, they may change and vary at some parts, like adding specifying comments or some other things that might be too revealing to put here or simply merging them better with whatever comes before and after each one, or just adding stuff and making each moment better so you don't read the same thing twice or make things different if my writing style has changed. Remember, never trust trailers or teasers! (This applies especially well to Pokémon. Was I the only one who expected a cool Ho-Oh Vs. Lugia battle from that trailer for Movie 13?)

Oh, and I will _not_ answer questions regarding important plot points, so you'll have to wait it out!

And I know that in the end of 'A New Chance at Life' Latias was captured by Ash. For details regarding why she is in Bianca's care and who will train her in the sequel, well, that will be explained when the actual moment comes during 'A New Chance for Adventure.' Also, as you noticed, May and Max aren't around traveling with Ash in some parts. Again, details of that will be revealed when the right time comes. They'll still know Ash and appear frequently, though.

Well, now that this is posted, I'll mark A New Chance at Life as a fully completed story. I hope you all liked this Fanfic and I'll see you all in the sequel. I'll try to get it up as fast as I can, but I can't make promises. If you want to read something in the meantime, I might be able to do a few updates to my other Fanfic 'Gods and Mortals' as it deserves some attention if I have time.

On a side note, I know I mentioned this already in the Author Notes of Gods and Mortals' chapter 2 but I'll say it here too, as this was the Fanfic where it happened. I'd like to give a special mention to my friend **Shakari** for her April Fools prank. She reviewed a past chapter of A New Chance at Life _BACKWARDS_. Yes, she wrote the entire review, from the spelling of the words to the structure of the review itself, all backwards. It was awesome. If you are interested in checking out that, it was for Chapter 7, in case you wish to filter them all out. Thanks Shakari! And no, that doesn't mean it's fine for you to give me tons of backwards reviews, don't steal her idea! Besides, April Fools has already passed. :P

Please **REVIEW** and tell me what you think of my sneak preview chapter to the future! =D


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